Food waste collections in Shropshire

We are often out and about promoting home composting with Shropshire Master Composters and people often ask why there aren't dedicated food waste collections provided locally. But there are!!

Of course we tell people its far better to home compost your food waste if you can but some people prefer to have it collected.  In two of the districts of Shropshire you can simply add food waste to your green garden waste bins and it will be collected and taken for centralised composting by the Council.

I think perhaps the message has not been widely communicated or something has been lost in translation because whilst in most areas of Shropshire you must not add food waste to your garden waste. However, in South Shropshire and North Shropshire districts you can. This includes:

• Cooked and uncooked leftovers
• Whole fruit and vegetables and peelings
• Pasta and rice
• Bread and cake
• Meat, fish and bones
• Egg shells
• Tea bags and coffee grounds

What happens to the food waste?

It goes to Vital Earth's in-vessel composting facility in Market Drayton, Shropshire.  When this facility experiences operational problems as has happened of late they use their sister facility in Ashbourne, Derbyshire to treat the waste instead.  They make PAS100 (2011) certified quality compost which sold at a number of local garden centres.