From local food waste to local energy to help power Bridgend County Borough

With over 70% of people in Wales now saying that they are recycling their food waste, Wales is well ahead of the game when it comes to food recycling. Welsh residents are also the world’s third best recyclers, but Recycle for Wales believes that we could be number one, just by being more aware of all the items we can recycle.

While most people in Bridgend County Borough are avid food recyclers, some people believe that they don’t produce any food waste. But whether we believe it or not, we all produce a certain amount of food waste that can’t be eaten but can be recycled. ‘Unavoidable’ food waste items, such as tea bags, egg shells, meat bones, and fruit & veg peelings can all be recycled and turned into electricity. Just 22 recycled tea bags generates enough energy to power a vacuum cleaner for 10 minutes, and 6 tea bags can boil a kettle - how many cuppas do you make a week?

If food waste ends up in landfill it rots down and produces methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. However, when recycled, it is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant in Bridgend where the methane is harnessed, turned into electricity and fed into the National Grid. Last year, the local anaerobic digestion plant in Bridgend, Agrivert, recycled enough food waste to power approximately 6000 homes for the whole year!

Catrin Palfrey from Recycle for Wales said: “We know that most people in Bridgend County Borough are recycling their food, which is great, but there is clearly still a lot more we can do. Every single thing we recycle can make a big difference to how much renewable energy we can create to power homes and communities in the county, while helping Wales become the best recycling nation in the world.”

What can I recycle?

You can recycle any food, and all food waste – but no liquids please. Keep an eye out for these food waste items as you’re cooking at home:

• Fish and meat bones
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Peels from fruit and vegetables
• Egg shells
• Plate scrapings and out of date food

For more information, visit our food waste page