City residents will start receiving letters about a new weekly food waste collection service which is set to launch this autumn.
The letters are being hand delivered to all kerbside properties during this week and next and will give details about the service.
Under its Simpler Recycling legislation, the UK Government requires all councils to deliver the collections. They aim to offer people an easy way to recycle leftovers, food scraps and peelings.
The new service will begin from the week of 26 October, with collections available to all kerbside properties initially, with a further roll out to flats and other communal properties after that.
Letters about the free service and how people can take part will be delivered first. Food waste caddies, bin liners and an information leaflet will then be distributed over the coming weeks ahead of the service starting.
Recycling food waste has a number of benefits including helping to turn leftovers into useful products such as green energy and natural fertiliser. It helps cut carbon footprints and improves soil health.
Weekly collections can help reduce household bin smells, as regular collections help to keep things fresher. They can also help to create more space in domestic waste bins.
And recycling food waste can help household finances. Millions of tonnes of food waste are thrown away each year, costing the average family around £1,000 annually according to figures from WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
Once food waste is collected, it will be taken to an anaerobic digestion facility. This process generates sustainable energy, fertiliser and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We want to let residents know that letters about the new food waste service will be coming out to them from this week so they can find out more about what will happen.
“The food waste collections will help people deal with their leftover scraps and plate scrapings as well as support our efforts to increase and improve recycling in the city.
“Even the most carefully planned menu can produce unavoidable food waste, such as tea bags, eggshells, peelings and meat and fish bones. The separate food waste collection service will help residents to recycle these items as well as keep domestic waste bins cleaner and fresher with more space.
“All local councils are required to introduce food waste collection services by the government and we hope this service will help residents to recycle their food waste in a simple and convenient way.”
The food waste collection service adds to the council’s existing recycling programmes including its bin contamination campaign Check before you chuck, schools education programme campaign Recycle Rovers and its free small electricals and batteries collection service.
Information about the food waste service, including Frequently Asked Questions, is also available at Food waste.