Approximately 76,000 homes across Newham are joining a weekly food waste recycling scheme as part of an expanded environmental push.
The scheme, targeting street-level properties, aims to turn household food scraps into renewable energy and bio-fertiliser. It follows the success of an initial pilot scheme in which 12,000 households recycled 533 tonnes of food waste over ten months.
This expansion is part of Newham Council’s three-phase rollout in response to the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, which require separate weekly food waste collections across England.
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Cllr Susan Masters, cabinet member for adults, health and environment, said: "It was fantastic to join our hardworking teams today to help deliver food waste recycling caddies to residents. With around 40 per cent of our rubbish made up of food waste, we all have a real opportunity to make a positive change and turn our scraps into something useful.
"Our residents have already shown what we can achieve together, and it's brilliant to see so many households embracing food waste recycling. Now, as we expand the service across the borough, we want even more residents to get involved and make food waste part of their weekly routine."
All food waste collected through the scheme is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it is converted into renewable energy and bio-fertiliser.
According to the council, even small amounts of food waste can make a difference. Just six recycled tea bags can generate enough electricity to boil a kettle, while nine banana peels could produce enough energy to fully charge a laptop.
Each participating home will receive a free starter kit, including a five-litre kitchen caddy, a 23-litre lockable outdoor caddy, a roll of liners, and an instruction leaflet.
Delivery of the kits began on October 19 and will continue over six to eight weeks. Residents are encouraged to start recycling food waste as soon as they receive their kit.
Farooq, a Newham resident, said: "It's really handy having a small caddy in the kitchen for things like fruit and vegetable peelings and other food scraps. I've definitely noticed that our rubbish bin doesn't fill up as quickly during the week anymore."
The final phase of the scheme will extend to flats and properties above shops in Spring 2027.
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