More than 80% of people with food waste collections say they’re no trouble and should be provided by all councils, according to new research launched by Friends of the Earth today, rubbishing claims by a Government Minister that householders don’t want to use slop buckets.

The new research, ‘Storm in a Slop Bucket’, reveals that the overwhelming majority of those who have food waste bins at home don’t have a problem with them. 82% say they’re not a nuisance compared to 56% of people who don’t have one, strongly suggesting that the actual experience of separating food waste dispels concerns.

Only 143 of England’s 322 local authorities currently collect food waste and just a handful more are planning to do so, leaving England lagging behind Wales, where all 22 local authorities provide food waste collections.

The research also found that more than 80% of people have become concerned about the increasing cost of food in the last two years.

Friends of the Earth’s Waste Campaigner Julian Kirby said:

“It’s a load of rubbish that food waste collections are smelly and unpopular – most people think they’re hassle-free and want all councils to provide them.

“Weekly food waste pick-ups can help us cut down the amount of food we throw away, which is good news for our bank balances as well as the environment.

“As food prices rise it’s more important than ever that we cut waste and recycle the scraps that can’t be eaten – and we can make genuinely renewable energy from what’s left over.

“David Cameron must build on the success and popularity of recycling by setting a goal to halve the rubbish England throws away by the end of the decade.”

Sara Lyddy, an events organiser from Cheltenham, has had a weekly food waste collection alongside fortnightly black bag collections for just under a year.

Sara said:

“I wasn’t entirely convinced about having a food waste bin before I got one – I worried it would smell and take up lots of room.

“But now I’ve started using it I think it’s brilliant! It’s not big and fits tidily under the kitchen sink.”

Key findings from the new survey:

• 68.7% disagree with the statement ‘food waste collections cause nuisance’ – 82% of those with a food waste collection and 56% without
• 75.9% say all councils should provide food waste collections – 90% of those with a food waste collection and 65% without
• 63.1% disagree with the statement ‘food waste collections are unnecessary’ – 76% with of those with a waste collection and 51% without
• 81.1% believe food waste collections are good for the environment – 88% of those with a waste collection and 75% without

ENDS

Notes to editors 

1. The ‘Storm in a Slop Bucket? What people really think about food waste collections’ attitudinal survey was commissioned by Friends of the Earth and carried out by Resource Futures, who interviewed 1,056 urban and rural households with and without kerbside food waste collections. 
2.  Last year, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said he doesn’t see why everyone should have to use slop buckets for waste food and said: “It’s a basic right for every English man and woman to be able to put the remnants of their chicken tikka masala in their bin without having to wait a fortnight for it to be collected."
3. The data showing how many councils have or are planning to introduce food waste collections is new research gathered by Ask Jennie Recycling Consultancy Services for Friends of the Earth. 70 councils in England collect food and garden waste together, 83 collect food waste separately and 7 are planning separate food waste collections. All of Wales 22 councils provide food waste collections.
4. We currently throw away a third of our food, half which is edible. Food and drink waste cost households £13.7 billion in 2010 (according to a Local Government Association analysis of WRAP figures), taking into account the cost of buying food that went to waste and the cost to council taxpayers of sending it to landfill - while 5.07 million tonnes of avoidable food waste was thrown away.
5. Friends of the Earth believes the Government’s year-long review of waste policy, published in July 2011, displayed an embarrassing lack of ambition and went backwards by dumping its commitment to a zero-waste Britain. We are calling for a Government goal to halve residual 'black bag' waste by 2020, with a similar ambition for business waste, to be achieved through a combination of increased and high quality recycling (with a preference for kerbside separation), waste prevention (including through improved product design and producer responsibility) and re-use. We are also calling for waste incineration to be phased out, and the end to the burning and landfilling of recyclable materials.