Food waste recycling scheme FAQs
We now collect food waste from households in Sherborne and surrounding villages. This service will help residents to recycle more and reduce the amount of waste taken to landfill.
We have delivered two new containers to every household with instructions on how to use them.
All you will need to do is empty food from your plate and peelings into the new kitchen caddy, then transfer this to the kerbside food bin and put it out for collection. Food waste will be collected every week on the same day as your normal waste collection.
Doing this will help to cut down the amount of food waste that ends in landfill sites. Rotting food in landfill generates methane - a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
For more information about the new food waste collection service, see our frequently asked questions.
To help you to separate your food waste easily from the rest of your waste, we have provided you with:
A kitchen caddy to collect the food waste from your kitchen
A roll of compostable liners to line the caddy
An outside kerbside food bin to put your food waste in which we will empty weekly
Please put your house number on your kerbside food bin and leave the handle upright when at kerbside. We promise to return your kerbside food bin safely to you.
If you have a communal bin store area you will receive a kitchen caddy and a roll of compostable liners to line the caddy. As with refuse and recycling, you will need to take your food waste to the bin store area for collection. In your bin store area we will provide a wheeled bin for you to put your compostable bag and food waste in.
| Question | Answer |
Why is West Dorset District Council wanting to collect food waste? | We need to recycle and compost more. Nearly one third of household waste in West Dorset is cooked and uncooked food waste. This produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, if it goes to landfill. This way, our food waste can be turned into useful compost. |
What do I need to do? | During the week beginning 19 April 2010, on the same day as your rubbish collection, you will receive a seven-litre kitchen food waste kitchen caddy and a 23-litre kerbside food waste bin. From the week starting 26 April, again on the same day as your rubbish collection, you will need to put your kerbside food waste bin outside at the kerbside by 7.30am on your collection day. |
What food waste will be collected? | Raw and cooked meat and fish including bones, dairy products including eggs, egg shells, butter and cheese, raw and cooked vegetables and fruit, bread, cakes and pastries, rice, pasta and beans, uneaten food from your plates and dishes, tea and coffee grounds, cat and dog food. |
Why should I use this service? | You will help West Dorset reduce greenhouse gas emissions because less food waste will be going to landfill. You will help keep council tax bills down because if councils don't reduce the amount they send to landfill, they may have to pay financial penalties of £150 per tonne. |
Could I use biodegradable plastic bags as liners? | No - only approved compostable liners, or newspaper, should be used to line your kitchen food waste caddy. |
Where can I get the compostable liners from? | Compostable liners are available to buy from local retailers and can be bought online. |
I have mobility problems - what if I can't put my food waste bin out myself? | West Dorset District Council can provide assisted collections. Please contact us on 01305 251010 for more information. You don't need to call if you have already been approved for assisted collections. |
Should I stop composting at home? | No - please carry on! Home composting is still the best way to deal with garden waste as well as a lot of uncooked food waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings. |
What should I not put in the food waste collection? | Plastic bags or packaging of any sort, liquids, any oil and fat (including solid fats like lard), animal waste and bedding, cardboard, nappies and pet litter. |
What will happen to the food waste? | It will be taken to Sherborne's West Mill Lane Household Recycling Centre to be bulked up before being taken to Eco-Composting in Dorset where the food waste will be made into compost. Eco-Composting will then grow turf using the compost which will be sold to businesses and private customers across the county. |
Where should I keep my kerbside food waste container? | That would be entirely up to you. If you do not have space in your kitchen to store your kerbside food bin, you could safely keep it outside. |
If I miss my food waste collection can I take it to my local recycling centre for recycling? | No. There are no facilities at the recycling centres to accept food waste. You will have to wait until the following week or put it in the landfill skip at the household recycling centre. |
Why is this only happening in Sherborne and the surrounding villages? | Sherborne is the only place in the West Dorset collection area where there is a local transfer facility and that was part of the essential criteria for winning the grant from WRAP. |
Will my kitchen caddy get very dirty and smelly? | Not if you follow basic housekeeping rules. Rinse it out with disinfectant or bicarbonate of soda after it has been emptied. The kitchen waste caddies are dishwasher safe. |
Will other parts of West Dorset get this service? | The district council is aiming to roll it out across the district when suitable transfer/disposal facilities and funding are available. |
Will this cost me anything? | No, the containers and the service are paid for through government funding and as part of West Dorset District Council's existing budgets. |
What if my kerbside food waste bin is lost or stolen? | The bins remain the property of West Dorset District Council at all times and the responsibility for the bins is with the householder. Like the green recycling box, if the kerbside food bin is damaged by negligent action of the district council's collectors, the council will replace the bin at no cost. If the bin is lost or damaged by the householder, the bin will need to be replaced at the householder's expense. We ask the householder to number the caddy for ease of identification on kerbside. We will not replace indoor kitchen caddies. |
What about liners for the kitchen caddy? | You will receive 52 compostable liners for your kitchen caddy. You can buy new bags at several local outlets, or use newspaper, paper sacks or kitchen roll to line your caddy if you prefer. |
I use a wormery and compost bin and have very little food waste left over. Do I really need a food waste caddy? | Yes. Even if you produce a little amount of food waste you will still need to put it out in the food waste kerbside bin as food waste is not acceptable in your rubbish bags however little it is. If you feel that you produce no food waste and do not wish to receive the caddies, please contact the district council. If you have asked not to receive the caddies but later change your mind, you are welcome to contact the district council and we will send the caddies out to you. |
Can badgers and other animals get into my kerbside container? | No. If you have left the handle in the upright or forward position this locks the lid to the bin. |
Can shellfish shells, for example mussel shells, be put into the food waste caddy? | Yes, shellfish shells can go in with the rest of the food waste. |
How can I prevent flies and maggots being attracted to my food waste bin? | It is good practice to keep the bin bleached and the area around it. Boiling water kills maggots and fly eggs, so it does help to wash your bin out after it has been emptied. Place the food waste immediately into your kitchen caddy and try and store your caddy away from open windows and doors. If possible try and keep the caddy in shady areas out of direct sunshine as the sun will warm up the bin. Some essential oils, such as citronella and tea tree oil are natural insect repellents. Try smearing the bin lid with one of these oils if flies are a problem. |
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