Smaller food waste bins in Uttlesford may be thrown out

A PILOT scheme trialling smaller bins for food waste - which has already cost the taxpayer �23,000 - has been met with a mixed review as it nears completion.

Across the Uttlesford District, 1000 brown 25-litre 'caddies' were distributed to homes to see if it would be easier for collectors and the public to use, ideally also increasing recycling rates in the process.

However, with next weeks' completion date looming, the smaller bins may be withdrawn from public use altogether.

Uttlesford's environment committee chairman, Cllr Susan Barker, said: "Around 80 per cent of people seemed to like the scheme. But unless everyone likes it and thinks it is worthwhile we may not be able to continue with it."

Money for the six-month trial was received from an Essex County Council grant at the start of the year.

Following that, bins were then distributed to a number of households in Dunmow, Saffron Walden and Wendens Ambo.

Cllr Barker said: "We have to try these things to see if they work otherwise we would never know if things could be improved."

The final result of the trial is set to be announced after a series of meetings over the next seven days. Cllr Barker suggested that the caddies could be rounded up and re-distributed to flats that currently have nowhere to keep large wheelie bins.

Environment committee member Cllr Christina Cant said that the feedback had not been as positive as expected.

"The final results will make very interesting reading because we have had mixed reports," she said.

"We had put the system in place because residents were unhappy with the much bigger wheelie bins, not it seems that the food waste caddie may be just too small."

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