Press Centre

UK gets a ‘sloppy’ solution for rubbish problem

UK consumers are facing yet another knee-jerk initiative which will allegedly help them separate household waste and increase recycling rates – kitchen slop bins!

Announced as part of the Government’s wider waste strategy, the initiative smacks of the dark ages and completely ignores simple, modern and cost effective alternatives. In conjunction with fortnightly bin collections, this could have serious implications for
consumers. Summer incidents of rat infestations have already increased 69 per cent since 1999** according to a 2007 report.

Quick Facts:

o 6.7 million tonnes – the amount of food waste UK consumers throw away each year*
o 69 per cent – increase in UK rat population since 1999**
o 1.8 million – the number of houses Gordon Brown has pledged to build by 2016***
o 20 – the per cent by which consumers can reduce household waste through food waste disposers ****

Ashley Munden, sales and marketing director for InSinkErator, said; “It is ridiculous to think that a single slop bin in each kitchen would be a sufficient solution for a country that produces around 6.7 million tonnes of food waste a year*. With Gordon Brown’s plan to build 1.8 million new homes in the UK by 2016*** this volume will only increase, and finding a proper solution to ensure high waste standards for current and new homes is imperative.

“Instead of limiting the options to one ‘grand idea’, UK consumers need to be made aware of all the solutions available and given a choice. The fact that food waste disposers can overcome hygiene concerns associated with storing food waste and reduce the volume of household waste going to landfill by around 20 per cent****, must mean they are an essential consideration; particularly for new build homes.”

While many local authorities are introducing initiatives that limit or penalise consumers, for example pay-as-you-throw or fines for overweight bins, two forward thinking authorities are incentivising consumers to dispose of their household waste more responsibly through food waste disposers.

The Sink Your Waste campaign run by Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council offers local residents cash back of up to £80 against the purchase and installation of food waste disposers. A simple and proven in-home solution, food waste disposers efficiently separate kitchen food waste from household rubbish and reduce household rubbish by around a fifth.

End notes
* Source: WRAP, 2007.
** Source: National Pest Technicians Association January 2007, National Rodent Survey Report 2006
*** Source: www.24dash.com, 2007. Based on 200,000 houses being built each year until 2016
**** Source: Based on information in the WRc Policy Document on Food Waste Disposers, 2005, that shows biodegradable food waste accounts for around 20 per cent of household rubbish