BROMLEY: Food waste trial could save taxpayer 'millions'

A trial scheme collecting kitchen waste has been running across 4,800 homes since September 2007 and will gradually be rolled out to a further 22,000 properties in the coming weeks.

The trial, called Composting for All, aims to increase recycling and reduce landfill tonnage, thus saving on landfill tax.

In 2007, 55,000 tonnes of waste from all over the borough went to landfill, costing £1.3m in tax alone and is set to rise to £2.7m by 2010/11.

In the current trial area spanning different types of homes all over the borough, the amount of waste going to landfill has fallen by 37 per cent.

Portfolio holder for environment and leisure Councillor Colin Smith says the scheme can benefit both the environment and taxpayers.

He said: “It’s highly desirable environmentally, any rotting food stuff you can keep out of landfill, which produces methane 22 times more damaging than CO2, and in addition save council tax at the same time, seems a win-win.

“We are staggered by the success of the scheme so far and will continue to take a very consensual approach to this as we know how sensitive it is to residents.

“We know that if we get this right we can all but be certain that we will become a no landfill borough, putting us in the vanguard of national excellence.”

In the trial areas the council collects food waste each week and household residual waste every other week.

Residents are given kitchen caddies and an outside container with which to dispose of food waste.

Cllr Smith says the extension will allow the council to assess the trial on a greater scale.

He said: “We will then be in a position once we have seen the success of the scheme to take a view on whether it's the right thing to roll out across the entire borough, which will hopefully be the case.

“It will save literally millions for the taxpayer.”

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