Food waste collections should come to Otley and Yeadon (Leeds Liberal Democrats)

Leeds Liberal Democrats <info@leedslibdems.org.uk>

Food waste collections should come to Otley and Yeadon

August 9, 2010 12:00 AM

An Otley and Yeadon councillor is calling for food waste recycling collections to be introduced to the area.

Leeds City Council launched a pilot food waste collection scheme in Rothwell earlier this year.

The pilot has proved a runaway success so far, with recycling rates of over 60% being recorded in some weeks. This is nearly double the average recycling rate for Leeds last year.

Participating households get a kitchen caddy and biodegradable liners to put food waste in which they empty into a separate wheelie bin when the caddy is full. The food waste wheelie bin is then collected every week.

They also receive fortnightly green bin collections and a fortnightly collection of their remaining non recyclable waste. The food waste is then taken away and composted, where it can then be used for agricultural purposes.

Because of the success of the pilot, local councillor Ryk Downes (Liberal Democrat, Otley and Yeadon), thinks the time has come for the scheme to be extended to Otley and Yeadon. He believes the areas are a prime candidate for an extension of the scheme due to the high levels of recycling they already achieve.

But Cllr Downes also expressed doubts about the Labour administration's commitment to the scheme after they put back making a decision on its future by three months. A report to the council's decision making Executive Board was originally due in July but has been delayed until October.

Cllr Downes said:

"The food collection pilot has quite clearly been a huge success. The recycling rates have exceeded everyone's expectations and it's proven to be really popular with the public in Rothwell.

"I think that the Otley and Yeadon ward makes an ideal candidate for the extension of the scheme, as many parts of the town already achieve excellent recycling rates. I know many local residents are keen to recycle even more and this is the perfect way to tap into that enthusiasm..

"I'm very disappointed that the council has delayed making a decision on the future of the scheme until October and I sincerely hope this is not an indication that they intend to cut it. With the government taxing landfill more heavily each year, I think it would be short sighted to sacrifice this scheme in the name of short term cost-cutting."