Thousands of residents living on estates will soon be able to recycle their food waste through a pioneering recycling service from Islington Council.
Around 2,000 residents living in the borough's estates can already recycle food waste under a pilot scheme run over the last year.
Now the service is set to expand to a further 10,000 properties over the coming year, after a successful funding application to government organisation WRAP.
Almost all residents in street-level properties can already recycle their food waste, along with schools and businesses and this has helped to push Islington's recycling rate to more than 30 per cent, but many residents living on estates have been asking for the opportunity to recycle their food waste.
Julia Barclay, a resident of Bevin Court, Finsbury, who is using new food waste recycling, said: "Recycling food waste is so important and this service means all we throw away is one tiny bag of rubbish a week."
Cllr Greg Foxsmith, executive member for environment, said: "Recycling food waste helps the environment and also cuts landfill costs, which is good news for all council taxpayers.
"This is another sign of our commitment to being the greenest borough in London."
The council will be working with residents living in flats and with resident associations over the coming year to discuss the best way of delivering the new services. The extension of the service follows successful trials at four estates in Islington over the last year.
Staff in the Recycling Team have already begun consultations and are aiming to introduce the first new sites in May.
Collected food waste is taken to a state-of-the-art composting facility in Edmonton where it is turned into 100 per cent recycled compost, which is now available to buy at the Household Reuse and Recycling Centre in Hornsey Street.
Recycling food waste helps to reduce climate change by reducing the emission of methane from landfill sites, and also makes bins less attractive to vermin.
Page Last Updated: 17 March 2010