Food waste from Wanstead is now converted into renewable energy at this ReFood plant in Dagenham. Councillor Jo Blackman reports
Strong resident engagement and minimal service issues have marked a promising start for the first phase of the food waste collection service, which includes a number of roads in Wanstead.
I’m grateful to residents, as well as the various council teams involved, including RCS who collect the waste, the customer contact centre, business support team, IT and digital and communications. The results have been encouraging. In the first week alone, nine tonnes of food waste were collected, increasing to 10.5 tonnes in the second week, exceeding initial predictions and demonstrating positive uptake across the borough in phase one roads. Around two thirds of households in the phase one area have been presenting their containers for collection. The council received a low level of enquiries and any issues raised have been addressed quickly, ensuring residents feel supported.
The food waste is taken to the ReFood site in Dagenham, one of the UK’s most advanced recycling facilities. Here, the waste undergoes anaerobic digestion, a process that converts it into renewable energy and nutrient-rich biofertiliser. The biogas produced is injected directly into the National Grid, generating enough energy to power thousands of homes, while the biofertiliser is used to improve soil health and support food production.
The council will continue monitoring participation and collection tonnage. In January, a survey will be sent to all phase one households to gather feedback. The insights collected will help shape the full roll-out of the service, ensuring it meets the needs of the community and builds on the early success.
Around half of the waste generated by households in Redbridge is food waste. It is hoped that the separate collection will help reduce our waste volumes and increase recycling rates (as the food waste processing is classed as recycling). Experience elsewhere also shows that people reduce their food waste when they separate it out. This should be beneficial for household bills as well as the environment by reducing the impact of both the production of excess food and its processing.
Home-composting is still a great option to turn raw vegetables and fruit into garden compost, and the council continues to encourage residents to do this through reduced priced compost bins. Recognising this can be a challenge for properties without gardens, the council has supported a number of community groups to start communal composting in public spaces and parks, including a site on Wanstead Place next to Christ Church Green.
Our food waste collection service shows a promising start as we plan the further roll-out across the rest of Wanstead and wider borough. This should help us reduce our waste and increase recycling, helping build a more sustainable borough and reduce emissions.
Jo Blackman is Redbridge Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment as well as a councillor for Wanstead Village.
For more information on food waste recycling and collections in Redbridge, visit wnstd.com/foodwaste
