Food waste bins in Bracknell Forest won't be in flats

Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) bosses will vote on proposals to introduce food waste collection from October 5 at a meeting next week.

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But a report explaining the plan indicates the bins will only be available for houses when the collection service is rolled out.

Some flats are likely to start receiving food waste bins from April 2021, according to the report, with all flats set to have the new caddies over a two-year period.

However, the report notes introducing food waste collection at flats would be done so on a “trial basis”, something housing associations or management agents would need to be “fully supportive of”.

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Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, January 20, councillor Paul Bettison, BFC’s leader, said: “What we are specifically not including on day one is flats. Flats have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

“Some have their own bin, some don’t, some have shutes. I don’t think there will probably be a building we can’t accommodate, but to try and say one size fits all wouldn’t work.”

BFC’s report said introducing food waste bins for flats in October would be “problematic” due to the communal bins often used at blocks of flats.

The council’s executive will vote on proposals to introduce food waste bins at a meeting on Tuesday, January 28.

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Should the move be given the all-clear, waste sent to landfill could be cut by around 50 per cent — equating to 4,000 tonnes of food waste per year.

Bracknell Forest could see its recycling rate increased to 50 per cent.

The plan would also mean green bin general waste non-recycling collection would change to every three weeks instead of every two weeks.