Food recycling

It doesn’t appear that our food waste is being recycled anymore. This morning I saw it had been poured straight into our black non-recycling waste bin. Anyone know anything about this?

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Are they in biodegradable bags? Otherwise they would put them in the general waste maybe.

I often see them put the food waste in the brown garden waste bin, but I think this is because it is all processed in the same manner. Obviously what you have shown here is something different. If nothing comes back here you could contact Lewisham asking for an explanation.

Mine is normally spread over the pavement outside my house…

Yes they are and they are commonly used. I think they may have issued similar when they first distributed the bins. If they aren’t suitable they should tell people.
I just don’t think they are composting the food waste anymore. It was not just my bin.
And they missed the recycling collection the week before.

I have long suspected that us well meaning lot all separate it out in to nice different coloured bins and then the local authority collect it (after a fashion) but then they out source it to some rascals who then put the whole shebang into some giant skip, and then all the skips get put onto a large ship which sails off to some hapless third world country desperate for foreign currency, and from then on it gets dumped down the nearest ravine. I am sure I read an article/expose in the paper about this last year.

As at last Sept LBLewisham was not yet able to process green and food waste separately. They can be combined if that is still the case. Quote from Lewisham in Sept 2019:-

“Asked about anecdotal reports of council staff seen tipping food waste into garden waste bins, the spokesperson added: “Residents are allowed to put their food and green waste in one bin, but we haven’t published this as we are still looking for a way to send our waste for anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a natural process in which microorganisms break down organic materials.

“Organic materials (animal manures, food scraps, fats oils and greases, etc) do not include green waste and will therefore require a different method of treatment – meaning that they can’t be collected together. Anaerobic digestion is more environmentally friendly as it can be used as a method of energy from waste to power engines and produce heat and/or electricity whereas our current treatment, in-vessel composting, produces compost only.”

Lewisham’s food and garden waste is taken together to Veolia’s Southwark plant, just off the Old Kent Road. It is then taken to composting facilities in Padworth, Berkshire and in Cambridgeshire.”

V interesting, but the photo is of food waste in a refuse (black) bin. Do you know why this would be happening?

Southwark (I’m just across the border) tell us that we can put food waste in either garden bin or food container - and collect accordingly. So @ThorNogson’s comments re where it ends up makes sense.

No I was clarifying what is supposed to happen, no idea why some food waste would go into general waste unless some bags/contents are rejected as non compostable for some reason.

it’s actually pretty disappointing it doesn’t go for anaerobic digestion - I had assumed it did (and mistakenly thought the garden waste could be processed this way too).

I’ve not had a food collection for 3 weeks and it’s going to go into the rubbish collection next week as it’ll be disgusting. I’ve reported missed recycling 2 weeks in a row and food waste 3 weeks in a row and I’ve not had any response from Lewisham Council!