Press Release for Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Peacock joe@birminghamfoe.org.uk 0121 632 6909
New research from Friends of the Earth shows that 3 out of 4 people questioned believe all councils should provide separate household food waste collections, and this rises to 90% for those who live in areas where these collections already happen.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth spokesperson Joe Peacock said that there is widespread public acceptance of putting out kitchen waste in a separate container along with their recycling, with a new Friends of the Earth nationwide survey showing that 80% say ‘it’s no trouble.’
The local environmental group says that these findings back their call for food waste to be collected separately by Birmingham City Council in secure containers, instead of flimsy black bin bags.
With widespread concern over rat problems in the city, secure food waste containers would drastically reduce the problem, as has happened in areas which benefit from these collections.
Hundreds of people have already signed a petition to the council to halve black bag rubbish on paper or at: http://epetition.birmingham.public-i.tv/epetition_core/view/Halverubbish
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. You can see the full research ‘Storm in a Slop Bucket? What people really think about food waste collections’ here: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/storm_slop_bucket.pdf. The attitudinal survey was commissioned by Friends of the Earth and carried out by Resource Futures (www.resourcefutures.co.uk), 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.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1317016/Every-Englishman-right-bin-waiting-collected-Eric-Pickles.html
3. The full press release with quotes from participants in the survey is available on the Friends of the Earth website: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/slop_buckets_survey_13092011.html
3. Birmingham Friends of the Earth launched their petition to Halve the Amount of Rubbish in Birmingham in March: https://birminghamfoe.org.uk/waste-recycling-news/talking-half-the-rubbish
