What happens to your recycling and household rubbish
Food waste (caddies)
We collect food waste in a fleet of small vehicles. Food waste is bulked up before being taken for reprocessing within Staffordshire.
The caddy liners are removed, and the food is ground to a pulp which is processed by bacteria in big sealed tanks. It’s a process called ‘anaerobic digestion’, and works like a big stomach after a tasty meal! The gas from the bacteria goes through turbines to make electricity for the National Grid. The liquid from the process is used as a concentrated fertiliser, replacing the need for artificial alternatives. The solid, fibrous material is very like compost, and is spread on farmland to improve productivity or used in horticulture to replace precious resources like peat.
Put into your household rubbish, food waste uses up some of the heat generated at the waste-to-energy plant, before it can burn itself and make heat. It takes more heat to dry it than it creates, which is why collecting it in caddies for anaerobic digestion is the best way to dispose of it.
Check what goes into your caddy
You can order an extra or replacement food caddy online.