Food waste much higher than contractor expected

Monday 18 February 2019

A private waste contractor is investing in another specialist refuse truck because of the sharp increase in food waste in the months since the new strategy went live.

Clint Blondel, who has rounds in St Martin's, St Saviour's, Vale and St Andrew's, prepared for the new waste collections by completely overhauling his fleet and purchasing narrow track vehicles with specialist food pods.

He said people had really taken the 'user pays principle' to heart and that on most rounds, the 3.5-cubic-metre food pods on his trucks were full before the 11-cubic-metre pod, which stores black bag waste and recycling before it is unloaded at the Longue Hougue household waste facility. 

As a result, he has decided to add to his fleet again and will be picking up another Dennis refuse truck from Northern Ireland this week. 

Pictured: One of the bin lifts which tips the waste into an 3.5-cubic-metre food pod inside the refuse truck.

Mr Blondel said: "I have noticed myself that the food waste has really increased and more people are starting to do it. There are still some people who are chucking away food in their black bags but it’s in a minority now.

"The food pod is filling up before the rest is full."

Mr Blondel said he had not had that many problems with sticker-less bags or with people putting 50-litre stickers on larger bags. 

He said the offenders were definitely in the minority and that most of the offences had occurred at communal collection points. 

Pictured: After leaving a 'Polite notice' on a bag which has not been paid for, waste contractors will log the location so the States know where the offences are occurring.