Fife Council set to expand food waste collection launched in Kirkcaldy
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Fife Council is set expand the initiative to mid-rise properties and select locations in the Lang Toun.
It has already collected more than 3.8 tonnes of food waste from around 600 properties so far this year. Now, the council is now looking to expand it further to mid-rise properties, with selected locations set to participate initially before other areas adopt the new way of working.
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Hide Ad“We’re now moving to some of our mid-rise properties and hope to have the remaining external food units in place over the next few months,” Sandy Anderson, waste operations service manager, said.


“Beyond that, we’re speaking to our housing service to see where they think there is a need across Fife.
He continued: “It’s exciting to see the impact of this expanded service and we remain committed to supporting our residents in reducing food waste and enhancing recycling efforts.”
The council’s food waste collection trial was first unveiled at Ravenscraig in Kirkcaldy last year. With £30,000 worth of funding from Zero Waste Scotland, the programme expanded in July to other high rise buildings across Fife – including Ravenscraig and Forth View in Kirkcaldy; Broomhead in Dunfermline; Swan and Memorial Courts in Leven; and Raeburn Heights in Glenrothes.
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Hide AdResidents were provided with household food caddies and liners, along with clear instructions for proper use, while new communal food waste bins have been strategically placed near building entrances to make it easy for people to dispose of their food waste. The council said people have appreciated the convenience of the bin locations, reduced odours, and the user-friendly design of the food-waste collection system.
“We have seen a significant shift in recycling habits during the trial period and the initial rollout, and the feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive,” Councillor Jan Wincott, spokesperson for environment and climate change, said.
“It’s clear that when food waste collections are introduced, and people see how much food goes to waste in their home, they want to do something about it."
She continued: “Rolling these out to more properties across Fife is a no brainer, and it marks a significant step in our efforts to reduce waste and contribute to a more sustainable Fife.”
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Hide AdThe scheme has provided residents with household food caddies and liners, along with clear instructions for proper use, while new communal food waste bins have been strategically placed near building entrances to make it easy for people to dispose of their food waste.
The food waste is then collected by the council and sent to an anaerobic digestion plant in Dunfermline which in turn feeds the communal heat network.
According to Sandy Anderson, service manager, Fife is on track to generate enough energy to power 80 to 140 homes for a year with this food waste, if things continue at pace.
“Heat from our Anaerobic Digestion Plant provides low cost communal heating to 388 households on the network as well as a care home, retirement housing, Carnegie Leisure Centre, Tesco and a local art gallery,” Mr Anderson said.
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Hide AdSo far, Mr Anderson said there have been no additional costs to the council from the service. He explained that if Fife wants to roll it out further, there will be additional funding available next year from Zero Waste Scotland.
Estimates suggest over 10 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in the UK, with much sent to landfill. Separate collections of food waste from households therefore prevent contamination of other waste which could be usefully recycled, as well as ensuring that food waste can be sent to anaerobic digestion facilities to generate sustainable energy to power local homes and businesses - rather than needlessly lost to landfill.
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