Go bananas for food recycling!

All banana buffs know that the yellow fruit is a brilliant source of energy, helps to boost brain power and even comes packaged in its own protective superhero suit.

But did you know that bananas also produce energy when they’re recycled?

All of the food waste that is collected from homes in Bridgend County Borough gets taken to the Agrivert anaerobic digestion plant in Stormy Down where it is transformed into electricity to power our homes and local communities.

It also produces a fertiliser which can be used as a soil enhancer in farming. On the other hand, if food waste ends up in landfill then it rots down and produces methane, a damaging greenhouse gas.

While some food waste can be reduced by savvy shopping or more sensible portion sizes, banana peels are among the unavoidable food waste that can’t be eaten, but can be recycled, just like tea bags, other fruit and veg peelings, egg shells, and meat bones.

It’s simple to recycle your food waste in Bridgend County Borough. Use one of the green bags to line your small brown kitchen caddy and put your food waste in it. When it’s full, tie the bag up and put it in your bigger food recycling caddy outside ready for your weekly collection. Remember that the outside caddy comes with a lockable handle to keep out smells and pests.

This autumn, we’ve teamed up with Recycle for Wales to raise awareness of how easy it is to recycle food waste.

The majority of local residents are already doing an excellent job of recycling their waste. We’ve gone from second bottom to the second best in the Welsh recycling league tables thanks to residents embracing our two bag fortnightly waste limit, and most residents are accustomed to recycling their food waste. But there’s still room for improvement, so please do the right thing with your waste.

Councillor Hywel Williams, Bridgend County Borough Council’s Deputy Leader

The humble banana can be recycled into renewable energy to power all sorts of things…

• 50 recycled banana peels could power your morning shower for five minutes.
• If everyone in Bridgend County Borough recycled one banana peel it would generate enough energy to power Porthcawl Grand Pavilion for nearly four days!
• Need some caffeine to get through the morning? Recycling just eight banana peels creates enough energy to boil the kettle for your morning brew.
• Recycling 30 banana peels can create enough energy to power a hairdryer for 10 minutes, more than enough time to get you ready for the day.
• If everyone in Bridgend County Borough recycled one banana peel it would create enough energy to power a local school for 36 hours!

Any residents who don’t already have food recycling caddies can request them online or by calling 01656 643643, or emailing recyclingandwaste@bridgend.gov.uk

For more information about food recycling, visit the Recycle for Wales website.