4,316 tonnes of food waste has been collected in the past 12 months in Southwark, which is equivalent to 332 double-decker buses.
▁▁
Veolia, Southwark Council’s recycling and waste collections partner, expanded their food waste collection service in Southwark to include 70,000 communal properties in October 2024. The new service was introduced in a borough-wide rollout, bringing the total number of properties receiving a food waste collection service to more than 140,000.
In the first year following the expansion, Veolia has seen an 18% reduction in food waste thrown in general waste compared to the previous year. Prior to the change, nearly half of all general waste collected in Southwark was food waste.
Collecting and processing food waste separately has significant environmental and cost-saving benefits. 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, showcasing a truly circular economy.
Southwark has reached this impressive milestone ahead of the Simpler Recycling legislation that will mandate separate food waste collections be available for all UK residents by March 2026.
The next phase of the rollout will include the expansion to flats above shops as well as ongoing education and awareness to continually increase resident participation in the service.
Mathew Crane, Regional Manager, Veolia UK said: “Southwark residents have really embraced food waste recycling over the past year, diverting the equivalent weight of 332 double-decker buses worth of food waste to our specialist facilities instead of discarding it in general waste.
“The successful borough-wide roll out of food waste collections to communal housing has doubled the number of properties with access to a dedicated food waste collection service in Southwark, helping to support the circular economy by turning food waste into valuable resources.
“I would like to thank Southwark residents for using the service, and we continue to support and encourage their participation in food waste recycling as we work together to create a more sustainable future.”
