The COUNTY council are trying to boost the number of homes that recycle their food waste.

According to the council, mealtime leftovers cooked or uncooked, plus food past it’s sell-by-date and tea bags egg shells and bones make up the region's biggest type of waste by weight, which is equal to around 30,000 tonnes of food waste every year.

In a bid to encourage more people to make use of the food caddies and recycling collection, the council will be placing stickers on all wheelie bins to remind people reminder to use the service so food doesn’t end up in landfill.

Residents will also be issued with information including how to order a free food caddy from the council if it’s missing.

Deputy leader of Gloucestershire County council, Ray Theodoulou, said: “We can all help to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill and I hope this campaign will show even more homeowners across the county how easy it is to join in.”

Chairperson of the joint waste committee, Jim Mason, said: “We are already doing pretty well here in Gloucestershire, with around a third of homes in the county currently making use of the food waste collection service and recycling just over 10,000 tonnes per year. However a further 20,000 tonnes still goes to landfill, which is costly.”

All separately collected food waste collected from Gloucester City, Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury and Cheltenham is now being recycled at the pioneering new anaerobic digestion plant in Bishop’s Cleeve near Cheltenham.

The plant provides renewable energy for local homes and produces a by-product, organic liquid fertiliser, which is being used by local farmers.

Food waste which is collected along with garden waste in the Cotswolds is composted on a farm in the north west of the county and these facilities provide an environmentally friendly alternative to landfill.

There are lots of useful tips on the Love Food Hate Waste website to help people to save money and food.

Further information is also available at www.recycleforgloucestershire.com