12,000 more homes set to get food waste collections in Exeter

Published: 9 February 2023

Details have emerged of the next households in Exeter to be added to the roll-out of food waste collections.

Exeter City Council has revealed the areas that will next benefit from the kerbside collections, as the scheme gathers momentum.

The news comes as just over 2,000 homes in St Thomas and Exwick receive their caddies and instructions this week, prior to collections starting on Wednesday 15 February.

More than 6,000 homes in the city are already part of the scheme. The roll-out began in 2021 and parts of Alphington, Beacon Heath and St Loyes are now receiving regular weekly collections of their food waste.

And the City Council has revealed the next areas set to receive collections between March and the end of May. An additional 12,000 more properties are set to be added over the next three months, which will take the number to over 20,000 homes receiving food waste collections. The next areas (in order of introduction) will be:

• Parts of Pinhoe (1,326 properties)
• Parts of Digby and Whipton Barton (2,065 properties)
• Parts of Stoke Hill and Pennsylvania area (2,477 properties)
• Parts of Heavitree and Polsloe (1,596 properties)
• Parts of St Thomas and Cowick (2,380 properties)
• Parts of St Leonards – first collections (2,071 properties)

Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor with responsibility for Recycling and Waste Management, said: “We’re delighted to be adding nearly 12,000 additional properties to the scheme over the next three months.

“We will be contacting all households that are being added to the scheme around two weeks before their collections are due to start.”

Cllr Williams asked people to be patient with the roll-out, as more and more households are added to the scheme: “The message is, please don’t contact us, we will contact you in plenty of time, explaining when your area is starting, how the scheme works and delivering your caddies.”

The initiative will continue to be gradually introduced across the whole of the city. Once complete it is expected that the city’s recycling rate will see a dramatic increase, as food waste is 38% of a typical black bin in Exeter, according to the latest analysis carried out in 2022.

Other areas will be added to the roll-out as and when vehicles, drivers and containers are available and this will be dependent on the supply chain which continues to be an issue across the UK.

Exeter City Council encourages people to only buy what they are likely to consume and is currently the best performing of all Devon’s district councils when it comes to producing the least amount of waste per head. This has decreased by a further 3kg per head in 2020/21 to 293kg per person.

However, adding a food waste collection service helps the planet and the battle against climate change, as well as increasing the city’s recycling rate. Currently food waste in Exeter goes in with the general ‘black bin’ collections and is sent to the city’s energy from waste plant at Marsh Barton.

Once collected, the food waste is sent off to be turned into soil improver while generating gas and electricity.

As part of the food waste collections, each household will receive a 23-litre kerbside caddy as well as a 5-litre kitchen caddy.

A dedicated page has been set up on the Council's website to deal with questions about the service, including how to line the caddy or bag up the food waste.

Dates for the rest of the city are still being looked at and will be clearly communicated with residents as the roll-out moves forward. People are being requested not to call the Council but to visit the website where a set of frequently asked questions is available.

To find out more information about food waste collections go to the City Council website at http://exeter.gov.uk/FoodWasteCollections