Westminster City Council has won the “Waste Performance of the Year” award at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards 2021 for its successful Food Waste Recycling trial. The council picked up the prestigious award at this year’s online ceremony, seeing off competition from the City of London and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Westminster’s Food Waste Recycling trial was launched in November 2019 in three areas of the city, with the support of Veolia, the council’s recycling and waste partner. Currently around 7,500 households receive a food waste recycling bag each week, and this may be expanded in the future.
Over a 12-month period Veolia, on behalf of the council, collected more than 300 tonnes of food waste that would otherwise have been thrown away.
All food waste is sent for processing at a plant in Hertfordshire where it is used to produce biogas, which can be used to generate heat and electricity, and biofertilizer, which is used on farmland.
Councillor Melvyn Caplan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Management, said:
Westminster’s food waste recycling trial has been a huge success and I am very pleased to see our efforts recognised at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards this year. Around 30 per cent of everything we throw away is food waste. Collecting food waste is not a simple process in Westminster and so we are delighted with the progress that we have made. Recycling food waste not only helps us reduce our impact on the environment but allows councils to save money by using the waste to generate electricity.
Helder Branco, Senior Contract Manager Veolia Westminster, said:
We have worked closely with Westminster City Council to set up and successfully implement this food waste recycling project, and I would like to thank Westminster residents in the trial area for embracing the service. We are honoured that the project has been recognised by Keep Britain Tidy. Our ongoing commitment is to deliver high quality sustainable waste management and street cleansing activities for Westminster residents, and to support the council’s fight against climate change through recycling. We will continue to play our vital role in the community, raising environmental awareness, encouraging sustainable waste behaviours, and offering the greenest and most innovative recycling and waste solutions.
