Recyclable Food Waste Collection - Bag it Right or Watch it Rot

The Council have just taken the recyclable food waste collection service back in house after it had been contracted out. Due to the way the Council's contract with the final recycler is set up, they will now be very strict on collections. Only "Biobag" brand recyclable bags will be collected. (This was always supposed to have been the case, but till this week, all biodegradeable bags have been collected.) The reason for this policy is that apparently Biobag bags degrade much faster than other types. So the use of non-Biobag bags seriously impacts on the recyclers cost base.

Someone somewhere along the line at the Council didn't join things up and Biobag bags are not available at the major supermarkets. There seem to be three suppliers per post code area. The ones in N8 & N4 are:

* MK & Son, 7 Wightman Road, N4
* Lido, 481 Green Lanes, N4
* General Stores, 457 Green Lanes

* Alim Newsagent, 569 Green Lanes, N8
* Just Natural, 304 Park Road, N8
* Londis, 96 Weston Park, N8

The Council are are being urged to develop a more joined-up approach to make getting the bags easier with a consequent increase in the take-up of the service.