Peterborough City Council Investigates Recycling Methods

Peterborough City Council has decided to investigate to uncover the best method for recycling food waste. The council hopes to raise its current 46% recycling rate to more than 65%.

Part of that investigation involved Peterborough council launching a consultancy to determine if using in-vessel composting (IVC) or anaerobic digestion (AD) is best way to treat the city’s food waste. The council also wants to make sure the policy can assist in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

This is especially important since food waste is currently not recycled in Peterborough. The two food waste recycling options are currently under discussion by the cross-party Members’ Waste and Recycling Working Group.

Councillors participating in the Waste and Recycling Working Group have gone on fact finding missions to AD plants and IVC facilities with the  hopes of being able to draw recommendations for the introduction of food waste treatment slated for next year.

The IVC process involves mixing food waste together with organic garden material. The combination goes though “a double heat treatment process that kills harmful bacteria like e-coli and salmonella”.

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for the environment said: “Under the city council’s waste strategy we have promised to introduce a system for collecting and treating food waste to prevent it being dumped.

“There are two main options for achieving that objective and we want to choose a system that is both effective and easy for householders to operate. They both involve natural processes but require different methods of collection and processing,” he added.

For more information go to: peterborough.gov.uk