FOOD WASTE RECYCLING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Contents: OPERATIONAL INFORMATION what is happening and when BENEFITS why

why it is good to use the service CONCERNS common concerns COMMUNICATIONS how we are letting residents know OPERATIONAL What is happening? From March 2013, we are expanding our food waste recycling service to a further 35,000 flats and tenements across the city. This means that the vast majority of city households will have access to this recycling service. When will my area receive food waste recycling? These are provisional dates that may be subject to change. Provisional date for the start of Area collections - week beginning (w/b) Ward 4 Forth Ward 5 Inverleith Ward 17 Portobello/Craigmillar Ward 12 Leith Walk Ward 13 Leith Ward 14 Craigentinny/Duddingston w/b 25 March 2013 w/b 25 March 2013 w/b 25 March 2013 w/b 1 April 2013 w/b 1 April 2013 w/b 1 April 2013 Provisional date for the start of collections - week beginning (w/b) w/b 22 April 2013 w/b 29 April to w/c 10 May 2013 w/b 13 May to w/c 24 May 2013 w/b 27 May to w/c 7 June 2013 w/b 17 June 2013 w/b 17 June to 28 June 2013 w/b 1 July 2013 w/b 1 July 2013 w/b 8 July 2013 w/b 8 July 2013

Area Ward 16 Liberton/Gilmerton Ward 15 Southside/Newington Ward 10 Meadows/Morningside Ward 9 Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart Ward 8 Colinton/Fairmilehead Ward 7 Sighthill/Gorgie Ward 6 Corstophine/Murrayfield Ward 2 Pentland Hills Ward 3 Drum Brae/Gyle Ward 1 Almond

What can I put in my bin? YES PLEASE All the following cooked/uncooked foods: NO THANKS

beans, pasta and rice bread, cakes and other bakery items dairy items, such as cheese eggs and egg shells fruit and vegetables, including peelings meat and fish, including bones tea bags and coffee grounds fast food such as chips, burgers and
pizzas

food packaging liquids (including milk and cooking oil) garden waste black bags or bin liners animal waste/bedding

How do I find out where my nearest communal bin is? You can call us on 0131 529 3030 to find out where you nearest bin is located. We will also be looking to update the details on the Recycle for Scotland website www.recycleforscotland.com in the near future. This website has details of where you can recycle different items across Edinburgh. What can I use to line my caddy? You can use old plastic bags, such as carrier bags, sandwich bags or even old bread bags. You can also use compostable liners or newspaper. I dont have room for another bin in my kitchen. We have provided the smallest caddy that will also allow enough space to take the average amount of food waste. Can I just tip the contents of my caddy into the communal bin? No please make sure that you have lined your caddy with either old plastic bag, newspaper or a compostable liner. Tie this liner and put this into the communal bin. Please do not put loose food into the bin. I dont want to use the food waste service so can I opt out? We strongly encourage you to make use of this recycling service, and are not currently running an opt-out service. Although we cannot enforce anyone to make use of any of our recycling services. With food waste making up a third of the average bin, this is all waste that can be recycled. When food waste gets set to landfill it produces harmful gases that damage our environment, and the cost of landfill tax is rising year on year.

By using the new service you will help make a difference to our environment and reduce the money we spend on sending waste to landfill. BENEFITS Why are you bringing this new service in? The Scottish Governments Zero Waste Plan required that all Scottish Local Authorities have to provide a Food Waste collection service by 2013. Will this save money? Yes as we currently pay more than 8 million in tax on the waste that we send to landfill. This is the equivalent amount it costs to pay for more than 10,000 hours of care at home for a vulnerable adult in Edinburgh per week, for a year. By recycling food waste we are diverting it from landfill, therefore saving money. We currently throwaway approximately 30,000 tonnes of food waste each year, all of which could be recycled, which would save us approximately 1.8 million by diverting it from landfill. What happens to our food waste recycling? Food waste is taken to Scottish Water Horizons Deerdykes Anaerobic Digestion facility in Cumbernauld. Through a combination of anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting it is turned into liquid fertiliser and compost and creates biogas that is converted into energy. How can I find out more about reducing the amount of food waste I have? There is lots of useful information on how to reduce food waste and tips for reusing leftovers. Visit these websites http://www.greenerscotland.org/ http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ http://www.changeworks.org.uk/ www.edinburgh.gov.uk/recycle Or call us on 0131 5293030 and we can put you in touch with one of our advisers.

CONCERNS Wont my food caddy bin smell? The lid on the caddy closes shut so no smells should come from it. Wont the bins attract vermin and wild animals? All of the food waste is completely contained within the bin and the lid closes shut, so there is less smell from the bin. COMMUNICATIONS How are you letting residents know about the new service? We are sending out letters to all affected residents. This will highlight that the service is coming soon and what they can recycle. This will be followed up with a caddy being delivered to them with a starter pack of compostable liners and a leaflet telling them how to use the service. We will also be supporting the roll out with door knocking to residents new to the service, advertising, social media and press briefings.