Recycling in Lancashire is about to be revolutionised with residents set to receive new caddies for weekly food waste collection.
Existing equipment at Farington Waste Recovery Park is going to be used to convert food waste into electricity.
It is planned that waste food will be collected from homes across the county by early 2026.
Councillors went behind the scenes to find out exactly how the park is currently run and what will happen to residents’ food caddy waste once collections begin.
Councillor Shaun Turner said: “We saw where the general waste comes into the plant, and the journey it undertakes as it is processed.
“I’m really looking forward to the time it will be able to take on the new food waste processing scheme.
“What might surprise some people is how the existing processes and equipment ensures that any odours are captured and then neutralised.
“Walking around outside, you could be forgiven for not knowing that the plant is capable of processing half of Lancashire’s waste.”
Food waste is currently processed at Farington as part of the district councils’ fortnightly general waste collections. Residents only have the option at the moment to put food waste in their household bins unless they compost it themselves.
Under the proposed scheme using food caddies, organic matter such as kitchen scraps will be collected weekly using specially designed new vehicles.
This will be deposited in a closed area of the waste recovery park, and packaging and contaminants removed by a press. Resultant sludge will be held in a large airtight tank, where it breaks down and produces a biogas, which can be used to generate electricity.
All of the air from the treatment buildings is treated by a giant biofilter.
The Farington site is set to process around 30,000-40,000 tonnes of food scraps annually.
