Veolia Southwark ran a competition for children to name seven food waste vehicles at their annual Wonder Day event on Saturday 13th September, with winning names including Chompy, Mr Eat-a-Lot, and Greedy Gizmo.
> The vehicle naming competition coincides with the launch of Southwark Council’s new food waste promotional campaign that is encouraging residents to continue to recycle food waste with helpful tips and reminders.
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Seven food waste vehicles have been newly named by local children following a competition at Veolia Southwark’s annual Wonder Day event, where they were encouraged to develop names and personalities for the vehicles. The seven winners, announced by Southwark Councillor James McAsh, Cabinet Member for Clean Air, Streets & Waste, were Chompy, Tummy Tron, Trevor, Basil, Mr Eat-a-Lot, Chew Ball and Greedy Gizmo. The new heroic personas are on a mission to fight waste and protect the planet.
Veolia, in partnership with Southwark Council, implemented food waste collections for 70,000 communal properties in October 2024, doubling the amount of households that previously received the service. In the first six months there was a 30% decrease in food waste collected as general waste compared to the same time period from the previous year.
Food waste collected from Southwark residents is taken to specialist anaerobic digestion facilities where it is turned into renewable energy to power homes and businesses as well as fertiliser to help more crops grow, leading towards a truly circular economy.
The next phase of the rollout will include the expansion of collections to flats above shops as well as ongoing education and awareness to continually increase resident participation in the service. Residents of Southwark can expect to see the new advertising campaign, which will provide tips on how they can recycle more food waste, over the coming weeks.
Mathew Crane, Regional Manager, Veolia UK said: “The food waste vehicle naming competition has been a great way to teach the youngest of Southwark’s residents about the importance of food waste recycling.
“170,000 households in Southwark now have access to food waste recycling and I would like to thank Southwark residents for using the service and encourage them to keep up the good work which is contributing to the circular economy, helping us build a more sustainable future for everyone.”
