Bath & North East Somerset Council says every household in the district can now recycle food waste after introducing a new collection solution for hundreds of flats in central Bath.
Photo courtesy of B&NES Council
The latest changes are aimed at more than 350 flats where there is not enough space to store large containers.
Residents in around 150 city centre flats are being given a five-litre kitchen caddy to carry food waste to newly installed on-street communal bins. Another 200 flats will receive caddies so they can put food waste out for collection alongside their green recycling sacks.
The council says the move means food waste collections are now available to every home in Bath and North East Somerset, ahead of the Government’s March deadline for councils to comply with new Simpler Recycling requirements.
The authority has also been recognised by Sustain for what it described as excellent support for projects aimed at cutting and reusing food waste.
In the South West benchmarking exercise carried out by the Alliance for Better Food and Farming, the council’s work was linked to a 25% fall in residual waste since 2017 and a household recycling rate of 60.5% in 2024/25.
Councillor Mark Elliott, deputy council leader and cabinet member for resources, said: “This is a really positive step for residents and for our environment.
“Ensuring every home in B&NES can recycle food waste puts us ahead of national requirements and supports the ambition set out in our Towards Zero Waste strategy to reduce waste and increase recycling.
“These improvements mean more materials will be reused to generate green energy and benefit local farmland.”
Food waste collected in Bath and North East Somerset is taken to the Codford Biogas plant, where it is turned into renewable energy and biofertiliser for use on local farmland.
The new communal food bins are being placed beside existing litter bins in Broad Street, Cheap Street, Westgate Street and Bridewell Lane. They can be opened either by lifting the lid or using a foot pedal, and will be cleaned regularly.
