Essex County Council is encouraging households in its jurisdiction to recycle their uneaten food, as it can be used to generate green energy, as well as for fertiliser or compost.
The local authority aims to reuse, recycle or compost at least 70% of waste generated by 2030.
In Essex, most food recycling is collected by residents' local councils' waste and recycling teams, and taken to local processing plants.Anything that is not food, such as caddy liner bags or packaging, is then separated from the load.
The food is then processed and transformed into a biogas and fertiliser. This biogas is used to generate energy.
Essex County Council stated that, last year, it provided more than 37,000 tonnes of food waste, helping to power 6,310 homes across the UK for a year.
That equates to CO2 savings of 32,776 tonnes – which works out the same as taking 16,189 cars off the road for a year, it added.
The authority has launched a campaign that has involved delivering stickers, food caddy liners and leaflets to over 350,000 homes in participating areas in Essex.
Councillor Peter Schwier, Essex County Council’s Climate Czar and Cabinet member for Environment, Waste, Reduction and Recycling, said: "Great work is already being done by thousands of Essex residents, but we can still do more.
"By putting food out in their designated recycling bins, households are helping to generate green energy and reducing the damage to our environment.
"Small actions can make a big difference and together we can tackle climate change to benefit generations to come.”
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