Early success for Hastings’ new food waste collection service

Thousands of residents across Hastings are already taking part in Hastings Borough Council’s new food waste collection service, with more than 161 tonnes of food waste collected in the first month - that’s approximately 115 cars or 27 adult African elephants.

The new weekly collection service makes it easier for residents to recycle food waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, bones and leftover food. Once collected, the food waste goes to Veolia’s local East Sussex composting facility, where it is turned into soil conditioner for use by local farmers and gardeners.

Residents getting involved with the new service have welcomed the introduction of food waste recycling. Comments include: “So far so good. All working well for us”, “It’s fantastic that we’re finally doing this! Other places have had it for years” and “Let’s get behind this. There are positive reasons to do it.”

Cllr Becca Horn, lead for environmental services at the council, said: “More than half our households in Hastings are already getting involved with the new food waste collection service - and we know many residents already compost at home. I want to thank everyone who's giving it a go - it's really making a difference!

"If you haven’t started using the service yet, why not give it a try? You can easily find your collection information online using our postcode lookup.

“Using the weekly food waste service means smelly food isn't sitting in your general waste bin for up to two weeks. This will make your rubbish less tempting to seagulls and foxes, which will help keep our streets cleaner and reduce smelly bins in the home. The handy locking system keeps everything inside. Just make sure you put the handle into the fully forward position.

“Food waste makes up about 30% of the average household waste bin. By using your food caddy, you're not only freeing up space in your bin but also reducing the amount of waste that gets incinerated, moving us to a more sustainable future for Hastings.”

More information on the service, including what can and cannot be recycled is available on the council’s website.