We the undersigned petition the council to provide food waste recycling service to all households. Currently only 30,000 of the over 125,000 households in Tower Hamlets are provided with food waste recycling services (1). This limited availability of food waste recycling is fundamentally damaging to the environment. Food waste accounts for over 40% of household waste for an average household in the borough (2). Currently the only option for those without food waste recycling is to put food waste in the standard black collection bins for landfill. Food waste in landfill rots and releases harmful methane gas, which is 25x more potent than carbon dioxide. This significantly contributes to climate change (3). This is an avoidable scenario. Food waste, when recycled, can be converted into renewable energy and natural farm fertiliser. Anaerobic digesters are used to break down the food waste, which converts it into biogas for energy production (4). Any left over residue from this process is used as a naturally occurring fertilise



The Government has set out plans in its Environment Bill for household food waste to be collected separately from 2023 (5). In order for Tower Hamlets to meet this target, we ask that:

1. Tower Hamlets bring forward their feasibility study for expanding food waste collection to blocks of flats and publicly publish the results by the end of Q2 2020 (6).

2. Tower Hamlets bring forward their food waste collection trials and publicly publish the results by the start of Q3 2020 (6).

3. Tower Hamlets provide public food waste recycling points throughout the borough for household food waste by the end of Q2 2020. These are to be provided at strategic points for individuals from any household in Tower Hamlets to recycle their household food waste.

4. Tower Hamlets bring forward borough-wide household food waste collection to the beginning of Q1 2021.

5. Tower Hamlets accompany any household food waste recycling scheme with a media campaign throughout the borough to educate and encourage the schemes use. Alongside this, all households should be notified of their nearest food waste recycling point.

We believe there are a number of benefits to these proposals. Some of which are:

1. Tower Hamlets will actively demonstrate its commitment to deliver food waste recycling to households as stated in its ‘Don’t Let Our Future Go To Waste - Waste management strategy 2018-30’.

2. Centralised food waste recycling across the borough provides an interim solution for household food waste prior to the 2023 commitment set out by the Government (5). This lowers the cost of implementation due to it not being rolled out to all households immediately. These centralised food waste recycling points have the potential to provide a permanent food waste recycling solution to those flats and houses that food waste recycling is not deemed practical by the feasibility study (mentioned above).

3. Tower Hamlets have an opportunity to educate their residents on the benefits of food waste recycling prior to the 2023 England-wide roll out.

Reference List:

1. Tower Hamlets, (n.d.). Food waste collections. https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/environment_and_waste/recycling_and_waste/food_waste_collections.aspx

2. Tower Hamlets, (n.d.). Food Waste Recycling - How to use your food waste recycling service. https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/Documents/Waste-management/Waste-reduction/Recycling/food-leaflet-estates.pdf

3. London Recycles, (n.d.). Food Waste Recycling. https://londonrecycles.co.uk/food-waste-recycling

4. Recycle Now, (n.d.). How Is Food Waste Recycled? https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/how-is-it-recycled/food-waste

5. Defra Press Office, (2020, February 10). Household food waste to be collected separately by 2023 and 50,000 city trees to be planted in Urban Tree Challenge Fund. https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/10/household-food-waste-to-be-collected-separately-by-2023-and-50000-city-trees-to-be-planted-in-urban-tree-challenge-fund/

6. Tower Hamlets, (n.d.). Don’t Let Our Future Go To Waste - Waste Management Strategy 2018-30. https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/Documents/WasteStrategy_final.pdf