Food waste recycling service to be rolled out to more flats

The pilot, which covered 500 flats in the Borough and ran for two months, will now be rolled out to 11,000 flats across Swindon.

A borough-wide food waste service was first introduced for houses in 2023 but, in order to deliver an effective service for residents, the pilot began in June this year to test and tailor the service for larger housing blocks.

Having already been introduced to George Selman Gardens in Park North, Cleverton Court and Upavon Court on Penhill among others, the rollout of the scheme will now move towards West Swindon.

The scheme is an important part of the Council’s mission to build a greener Swindon by improving recycling rates. A significant proportion of household rubbish is made up of food waste, with analysis in 2024 showing that it accounts for more than a quarter of recyclable waste in Swindon’s wheelie bins.

Once collected, Swindon’s food waste is sent to Codford Biogas, which is an anaerobic digestion plan where it is converted into a nutrient-rich fertiliser which is used on the surrounding farms and biogas that is used as a green energy source.

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: "I’m really pleased we will be rolling out our food waste recycling service to more flats across Swindon, well ahead of the national deadline.

“We know how important it is to improve our recycling rate, and it’s great that residents in communal properties are now playing their part. There is still more we can do, as every tonne of waste that is recycled rather than put into residual waste streams, saves residents of Swindon more than £100 per tonne.

“The best way to reduce food waste is to plan meals carefully, but when there are leftovers, I urge everyone to use our food waste recycling service. It’s easy to check what can go in your caddy, simply search ‘Food Waste’ on our website and use the Council’s Waste Wizard.”