Rossendale’s kitchen caddies are helping more food waste get recycled

Tea bags, peelings and dinner scraps are adding up in Rossendale. Residents separated 409 tonnes of food waste in three months, according to new figures from the borough council.

The Lancashire borough introduced weekly food collections this spring. Its overall recycling rate has risen from 34% to 38%, a gain of four percentage points.

A small kitchen caddy makes it easier to collect scraps where they happen, before transferring them to the outside bin. The council’s resident guidance accepts plate scrapings, bones, tea bags and coffee grounds, but excludes packaging and liquids.

There is practical help when supplies run out: residents can collect free caddy liners from listed libraries and community venues, subject to availability.

The figures come from the council, and most of the borough’s waste is still outside the reported recycling total. Separating leftovers also cannot replace avoiding unnecessary food waste in the first place.

Still, the collections give unavoidable scraps a useful next step. A routine that starts beside the kitchen sink is now diverting hundreds of tonnes towards recycling.

Sources

• Rossendale Borough Council — new collection and recycling figures
• Rossendale Borough Council — accepted materials and free liners