WOODLAND S Park residents are widely expected to be used as guinea pigs for a new smaller food waste bin in the New Year. The bin is to be trialled at approximately 1000 properties after a decision was taken by the council s Environment Committee last wee

WOODLAND'S Park residents are widely expected to be used as guinea pigs for a new smaller food waste bin in the New Year.

The bin is to be trialled at approximately 1000 properties after a decision was taken by the council's Environment Committee last week.

The pilot scheme will reduce the size of bins in a bid to save time and space and make it easier for users as the current 140-litre brown-lidded food waste bins will be replaced with 25-litre 'caddies'.

The size-change is a result of feedback from residents suggesting the existing bin was too large and provided an inefficient solution to food waste storage.

The trial and the confirmation of the location and the start date has yet to be officially announced until next Tuesday but The Broadcast has learned that Woodlands Park in Great Dunmow is the most likely estate to receive the new bins first.

The trial will also provide the council with an opportunity to review properties previously identified as exempt due to a lack of storage space for a 140-litre bin, meaning some properties which currently do not have a brown-lidded bin could get one.

During the trial a survey will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the smaller bins, after which they could be distributed throughout the entire district. A questionnaire will also be circulated to the homes affected by the trial before it commences.

The change should allow Uttlesford to make further progress in recycling and waste targets, which are already among the best in the country.

Figures for the recycling rate and the amount of waste being sent to landfill have improved steadily since the dramatic growth in recycling was achieved when the three-bin system was introduced in 2006.

Following the pilot, a decision on whether to extend the scheme to the rest of the district is expected to be made by full council later in the year.

Cllr Susan Barker, Chairman of the Environment Committee, said: "The introduction of this trial demonstrates that the council has listened to its customers, many of whom have said the existing food waste bin is too large.

"The smaller caddies will have locking lids to prevent possible problems with animals and will take up less space. If the trial is a success, the scheme will be rolled out across the district.