Bexley food waste stickers explain weekly recycling

By Hiyastar Local News Desk

Bexley households will see new stickers placed on general rubbish bins over the next couple of months, reminding residents that food waste should go into the borough’s free weekly food recycling service instead.

The message, “food’s not rubbish so let’s recycle it”, is being added by council bin crews as part of Bexley Council’s effort to cut the amount of recyclable food being thrown into general rubbish.

Free weekly food waste collections for Bexley homes

Residents can use a free kitchen food waste recycling caddy and an outdoor food waste box. The food waste is collected every week and used to generate green power for local homes.

Bexley Council says the service can take cooked and uncooked food, including bones, fish skins, tea bags and coffee grindings. The council says recycling six teabags can create enough energy to boil water for another cup of tea.

The stickers are a reminder, not a change in collection rules. They are being added to general rubbish bins to nudge households to separate food before it reaches the black bin.

What residents should do when the sticker appears

Anyone without the right containers can order a free kitchen caddy and food waste box through Bexley Council. Residents can also check the council’s guidance on which foods can be recycled.

Why the council is targeting food in black bins

Recent annual recycling figures from DEFRA show Bexley has improved its overall recycling performance. The council says its recycling rate has risen faster than many neighbouring London boroughs.

But the council also says around 30% of waste currently going into general rubbish bins is food waste that could be recycled through the free weekly service. Removing that food from black bins can reduce disposal costs because food waste is cheaper and more energy efficient to process than general rubbish.

Bexley has also extended the weekly food waste service to flats above commercial premises, widening access for residents who may not previously have had the same collection arrangements.

For readers tracking similar council recycling changes elsewhere, hiyastar.co.uk has also covered household recycling advice linked to future food waste collections in Cheshire East.

Bexley’s recycling push continues

Cllr Rags Sandhu, London Borough of Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Leisure, thanked residents for their recycling efforts over the past year.

“We would like to thank everyone for the work they have done over the past year to help us increase recycling in the Borough,” he said. “The annual figures show that Bexley’s recycling rates have improved at a faster pace than many of our London neighbours.”

Source: London Borough of Bexley