Thousands of Sheffield homes to get new food waste bins as part of trial in coming weeks

Around 8,200 households across parts of Meersbrook, Woodseats, Burncross, Ecclesfield, Arbourthorne and Darnall will pilot the scheme.

Currently around a third of black bin waste in Sheffield is food, according to the council. It is hoped that in reducing this carbon emissions will also fall.

Councillor Joe Otten, chair of the waste and street scene policy committee, said the trial will prepare the city before weekly food waste collections become compulsory under the Environment Act.

He said: “Food waste recycling is something I have been calling for for many years, with its potential to make a big difference to our greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our black bin waste.

“The trial will help us understand more about food waste collections locally and realise the scale of the benefits, both economically and environmentally.

“I’m very pleased to bring in this trial which will help us prepare for the full roll out.”

When will Sheffield’s food waste trial start and how will it work?

Participating households will receive an outdoor food waste bin half the size of a blue bin plus an indoor five-litre kitchen caddy and a roll of 52 biodegradable liner bags.

Plate scrapings, meat, fish, dairy products, rice, pasta and more can go into the caddy before transferring it to the outside bin for collection.

It then gets collected and taken to anaerobic digestion facilities in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire to be recycled into bio-fuel and nutrient-rich fertiliser and soil enhancer for farming.

The scheme will begin the week commencing August 29 and run for 12 weeks.

Bins are expected to be delivered between August 15 and 26 and a leaflet with an explainer will be sent out around August 1.

Why Sheffield is trialling food waste collections

It follows the introduction of the Environment Act, passed into legislation in November 2021, which is expected to make weekly food waste collections compulsory.

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A sample by the council in 2019 showed 33 percent of Sheffield’s black bins were made up of food waste, which adds to the amount of carbon dioxide polluting the atmosphere.

This scheme contributes to the council’s commitment to become a zero carbon city by 2030.