Food waste kerbside recycling

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Aside from the fact that food waste must be reduced any waste of food that does occur should, obviously, be recycled to bio-methane and compost. In an ideal world into both.

Local authorities should have their own production plants and not have to pay to dump at commercial outlets, and even if they get paid for the material it is but a pittance compared to what the rewards could be if it would be done “in house”.

While a great show is being made as regards to kerbside collections of all manner of recyclables, including food waste, the facilities to process the materials do not, however, exist in most areas and definitely not in the hands of the municipalities; definitely not in Britain.

Thus, unless a “customer” exists, or can be found, to reprocess the recyclable materials they end up where they have always did, on the dump, that is to say, the landfill.

In other instances recyclables, such as metals, plastics, etc., as well as and including food waste, are shipped all the way to the moon – sorry, China, though it might as well be the moon – for sorting and reprocessing. Food waste may not travel as far as that it is ONLY shipped to mainland Europe to be made into methane. This simply is utter madness and is not sustainable.

All recyclables, especially food waste, should be reprocessed and processed locally. It would benefit all and especially the local economy.

Bio-methane resultant from the processing of food waste could aid to a country's energy security no end and there is compost to be had also.

Sending it elsewhere, and especially abroad, for processing and reprocessing is counterproductive and NOT environmentally friendly and landfilling waste while doing recyclables collections is a sham at best and a fraud at worst.

Let's all stop playing games and get real. It will benefit us, our country, and more important, the Planet.

© 2013