Amey and the Isle of Wight Council are teaming up to tackle food waste this summmer.
This follows the results of a waste composition study last year, which found that 25 per cent of general waste was food that could have been be recycled.
Almost a fifth of residents in the study were not using a food caddy to dispose of food waste.
Amey, in partnership with the council, will be hosting events beginning 3 August where residents can pick up a new food caddy and advice on avoiding food waste and using the councils food waste collection service.
From September, leaflets will be given to households currently not using the food waste service, with advice on getting the most out of your food caddy. It also provides information on what happens to your food waste and how it’s recycled.
On behalf of the council, Amey have also created a video showing what happens to your food waste once it’s been collected from your home. You can view the video here.
Natasha Dix, the council’s strategic manager for contracts, waste and environment, said:
"We would like to thank residents for taking part in our waste composition study last year, looking at what we are putting in which bins. It provided a great insight into how we may not be disposing of our food waste correctly. By recycling food waste in your food caddy, you could save space in your black bin.
"We can all be guilty of buying too much food, to begin with! The 'Love Food Hate Waste' campaign has lots of recipe ideas for using leftovers at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com."
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet lead for heritage, waste and environment, added:
“People don’t think you can recycle food waste but that is exactly what you are doing when you use your food caddy at home.
"Your food is collected and taken to a specialist plant to become farmland fertiliser and electricity which helps the environment and reduces the amount of waste to landfill."
Supermarket Tesco is supporting the campaign by providing a limited number of free compostable food waste bags or wash up pads which will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, to anyone taking home a food caddy from the Amey stand outside the main store in Ryde.
The team from Amey will be at the Ryde store on the below dates.
Date | Venue | Town | Time |
Tuesday 3 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 10am - 3pm |
Thursday 5 August | Kings Square (adjacent to Waitrose) | East Cowes | 10am – 3pm |
Monday 9 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 10am – 3pm |
Tuesday 10 August | ASDA | Newport | 10am – 3pm |
Wednesday 11 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 2pm – 7pm |
Thursday 12 August | St James Square | Newport | 10am – 3pm |
Saturday 14 August | ASDA | Newport | 10am – 3pm |
Monday 16 August | Ryde Town Square (outside Co-Op) | Ryde | 10am – 3pm |
Wednesday 18 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 10am – 3pm |
Friday 20 August | Minghella Square | Ryde | 10am - 3pm |
Saturday 21 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 10am – 3pm |
Monday 23 August | Moa Place car park | Freshwater | 10am – 3pm |
Tuesday 24 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 2pm – 7pm |
Wednesday 25 August | St Thomas Square | Newport | 10am – 3pm |
Thursday 26 August | 1Leisure The Heights (outside centre entrance) | Sandown | 10am – 4pm |
Friday 27 August | Outside Shanklin Methodist Church (Regent Street) | Shanklin | 10am – 3pm |
Sunday 29 August | Tesco Extra | Ryde | 11am – 3pm |
Monday 30 August | Kings Square (adjacent to Waitrose) | East Cowes | 10am – 3pm |