Householders who regularly waster food could be fined by their local council if the government goes ahead with a new plan that is to slash the amount of food being sent to landfills across the country. The Government is strongly thinking about using what is known as “Kitchen Caddies” so that any house is more than aware that they must make an effort to try and recycle. If any household is found emptying loads of food into their normal bins then they could face a tough penalty.
It is estimated that British households throw away roughly 4.1 million tonnes of food each year The equivalent of £420 for every home. The majority of the food that is being thrown away is not being recycled and it is a major concern for government officials in the worlds push for a greener society. Right now, the food industry is expected to segregate their food waste properly so why should any household be any different. corporate catering comapnies from around England are expected to take care of their food waste program properly. The private catering and wedding catering industry produces over 3 m tonnes of waste a year which is properly disposed of and now the Government want to emulate this routine by implementing the same strategy into the household.
The Government have also been carrying out research to ban specific products in landfills as it is harmful to the environment. Research was performed for similar bans that other countries have such as Austria, Germany and Holland. It showed that the amount of waste sent to landfill in from 27% to 1% after a landfill ban was introduced for some materials such as paper and card. This was in accordance with other methods to try and boost awareness of recycling as much food waste as you can.
Government representatives have been quoted as saying that the current recycling system needs a massive overhaul and we cannot just put anything into a landfill. Why can we not use these materials to recycle and make greener energy?