Food waste scheme collects 165 tonnes in first week

More than 165 tonnes of waste food was collected during the first week of a recycling service in Lincolnshire.

The county council said thousands of households in Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey had made use of the service.

It has been introduced under government rules requiring all councils in England to collect food waste weekly.

South Kesteven is the next area of Lincolnshire to take part, with food waste collections starting on Monday.

Collections in Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland are due to begin later in the year.

Defra's Simpler Recycling rules came into effect on 31 March, but a BBC investigation in February found about one in four councils was expecting to miss the deadline.

They blamed the delay on demand for new specialist vehicles, as well as issues with funding despite more than £340m in grants from Defra.

All the food waste collected in Lincolnshire is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it is turned into energy and fertiliser.

The county council said, while the first week had been positive, there may be some "initial teething issues" as crews and collection routes settle in.

Danny Brookes, chair of Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, said: "We've been really encouraged by the positive start to food waste collections across Lincoln, North Kesteven and West Lindsey.

"It's great to see so many residents already making use of their caddies and getting behind the new service."

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