GREEN fingered residents in East Cambridgeshire are being reminded that discounted compost bins could help their wallet, their garden and the environment. Waste chiefs in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are urging residents to compost their food waste thi

GREEN fingered residents in East Cambridgeshire are being reminded that discounted compost bins could help their wallet, their garden and the environment.

Waste chiefs in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are urging residents to compost their food waste this spring.

Recent research indicates that around 3.3 million tones of food are wasted every year in the UK. This is not only a waste of money, costing more than £425 per adult but a burden to the environment.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership (RECAP), supported by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), are running a scheme to provide reduced price compost bins to tackle the mountains of food waste arising every year.

The compost bins, which have a recommended retail price of over £30, are reduced to as little as £8 including delivery costs. When ordered online, www.recyclenow.com/compost residents of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can save an extra £1.

Food waste ending up in landfill sites will decompose creating methane, a greenhouse gas which is partly responsible for global warming. In addition the Government taxes every tonne of waste that ends up in landfill and will fine Councils who break tough limits on the amount of rubbish that can be landfilled.

For those who have no space for a compost bin East Cambridgeshire District Council accepts all cooked and raw meat, vegetables, dairy products and bread as well as garden waste in their brown sack collections.