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Recycle Now and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is launching a new campaign to encourage homes in the district to first and foremost use all the food they buy and secondly recycle anything inedible like eggshells, banana skins and tea bags.
In Northern Ireland 80% of people recycle their food waste, which is great, but there is room for improvement. Latest estimates show that a third (30%) of our average rubbish bins are still made up of food, most of which could have been eaten (23%).
A household of four in the district could save £80 per month or £1,000 a year just by using all the food they buy! The best thing to do with your food is eat it. Items such as bananas, chicken, bread and potatoes are amongst the most wasted items. By throwing these away we are not only wasting money we are also damaging the planet. Think about cooking up some quick-fire easy recipes using these most wasted items. How about making a banana smoothie or a chicken fajitas? There’s lots more inspiration for making the most of the food you buy over at Love Food Hate Waste.
For inedible items, make your food waste caddy your go-to bin. Even small amounts, like vegetable stalks, banana peels, onion skins, eggshells, chicken bones and coffee grounds, can be recycled.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Valerie Harte said, “Failing to recycle right not only has a damaging impact on the environment but there is a real cost impact to the Council and in turn, ratepayers. Items placed in the wrong bin contaminate that bin. They have to go through a removal process and may have to be transported to landfill. So please take care when sorting your weekly household waste. Everything you can do as a resident to recycle right really helps. And if you’re not sure what to place in your Brown bin/kitchen caddy or any of your bins please visit bin-collections-and-recycling ”
Food waste in the district is collected together with your garden waste in the same outdoor bin. From there, it gets broken down and processed into compost and soil conditioner. The Council takes your waste to a transfer station from your kerbside. All compostable material is bulked up and sent in larger lorries to an in-vessel composting facility to produce compost and soil conditioner.
Craig Stephens, Senior Campaign Manager, Recycle Now, says: “The importance of this campaign is getting as many people as possible within Newry, Mourne and Down to first use the food they buy and then utilise their food caddy and stop putting food waste in the general rubbish bin. The resources that go into producing our food - the water; the transportation and the energy to chill foods from farm to factory and into our kitchens are also wasted when we throw food away. We need to raise awareness of the cost to households and the environment of needlessly putting food in the rubbish bin. By using all the food we buy and recycling the inedible parts, you can save money and create compost for garden use.”
3 top tips for recycling food waste in the Newry, Mourne and Down area:
- Make sure you recycle these items: vegetable stalks, fruit peels, onion skins, eggshells, bones, tea bags and coffee grounds
- The best way to keep your caddy fresh is to use a compostable liner and empty it regularly. Half of regular food waste recyclers empty their caddies every or most days. Most food waste recyclers in NI use a liner (89%).
- If you need a caddy, liners or more information on what to put in your caddy, visit www.newrymournedown.org/brown-bin
