Food Waste

Digesters

• Why shouldn't I put my food waste in the grey bin?
• What can I do with my food waste?
• How do food digesters work?
• Where can I get a food digester?

Why shouldn’t I put my food waste in the grey bin?

In the UK we throw away a third of the food we buy- that equates to hundreds of pounds a year added to the weekly shopping bill.

Sad although this statistic is, there will always be some left over raw and cooked food waste in our kitchens, such as pasta leftovers or roast chicken bones. This waste would normally be driven by truck to landfill and buried. Here, this waste produces the greenhouse gas methane. It’s not a very environmentally friendly process and, because of EU fines, is increasingly expensive.

The less we send to landfill the better. By not sending our food waste to landfill we can reduce our household bin contents by a fantastic 30%.

What can I do with my food waste?

Your food waste can be difficult to dispose of, but should not be wasted! In a similar way to composting, you can use your food leftovers to help feed your garden.

Vegetable peelings, teabags, eggshells and fruit waste can all be used to help make compost for your garden- see the Home Composting page for more information.

However you can dispose of your raw and cooked food waste by using a food waste digester, either a Green Cone or Green Johanna. Both of these will take cooked food, meat, fish, bones and dairy products.

How do food digesters work?

You pop your leftovers in, and the digester uses natural processes to break the food down, without producing methane.

The Green Cone digester breaks the food down into water and carbon dioxide using naturally occurring organisms. The process creates very little residue, which is a nutritious addition filtered directly into the ground.

The Green Johanna digester is designed to handle the food waste mixed with one third garden waste. It creates an excellent, easily accessible compost for your garden.

                           

Where can I get a food digester?

The Green Cone and Green Johanna can be purchased at specially reduced rates (from only £15) through the Wiltshire County Council website www.recycleforwiltshire.com.

For more information about these wonderful green gadgets, ring a special freephone hotline number- 0800 019 2064 or by going online to www.greencone.com.