Across the UK, around 13.8 million households receive a food waste collection. According to WRAP’s 2015 3Rs Tracking Survey, the main reason that people give for not using the food waste collection service is that they have not received any information about how to use it (17% of non-users gave this as the main reason).

The other main reasons given also highlight the lack of knowledge non-users have about food waste collections, citing it would be too ‘messy or smelly’ (14%) and ‘I don’t produce enough food waste to bother’ (14%).

To tackle this issue, WRAP has launched a new suite of communication materials and updated guidance on food waste recycling. WRAP’s Food Waste Collection guide provides local authorities with information on the collection of household food waste as a way of diverting this material from landfill or other residual waste treatment. It highlights issues to consider when planning and implementing a new food waste collection service. The guide also provides advice to local authorities with existing weekly separate food waste collections on how to increase participation and capture through effective service design and communication activities.

WRAP has previously drawn attention to the barriers that are associated with food waste recycling in the 2014 Barriers to Recycling Report, which outlined householders’ lack of understanding of how to use a food waste collection and perceived negative perceptions around hygiene.

To help overcome these barriers, WRAP has refreshed the existing Recycle Now food waste communication materials to create a suite of around 75 new resources. They have been consumer tested to resonate with householders and encourage participation and more capture.

The communication materials consist of a range of resources such as leaflets, posters and bus signage. They highlight a range of messages that outline how simple it is to recycle food waste and the benefits of recycling food waste by anaerobic digestion. Welsh language versions of the materials are in production and WRAP is also working on communication materials that illustrate the benefits of In-Vessel Composting.

Communication materials are free to download from the WRAP Resource Library https://partners.wrap.org.uk/collections/77/ and can be amended to reflect local services. The Food Waste Collection guide is available to download from the WRAP website www.wrap.org.uk/hhfoodwastecollections

The Food Waste Collection guide and food waste communication resources are part of WRAP’s ongoing contribution to the Food Waste Recycling Action Plan, which is currently in development.

Published: 23/03/2016