FOOD waste liners are being delivered to households across North Ayrshire in an effort to boost food recycling in the area.

The liners, along with a handy information leaflet and bin sticker, will be distributed to all mainland households over the coming weeks.

Food waste is something every household produces. Whether it’s the unavoidable coffee grounds, egg shells and banana skins, or out of date foods and leftover plate scrapings.

Regardless of what it is, the Council can collect and recycle these unwanted food items and turn them into valuable resources such as rich compost.

But before disposing of food items, it is worth considering if there are any alternative uses for them such as transforming leftovers into a completely new meal, freezing extra portions and enjoying them at a later date or even just ensuring you only cook what you need - all simple steps that can make a big difference when it comes to reducing waste.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, has welcomed this new drive on food recycling.

He said: “Every house produces food waste. It’s inevitable.

“However, we are making it even easier for people to recycle these unwanted food items. All that we ask is that they take advantage of the service and join us in our mission to drive down the amount of unnecessary waste sent to landfill.”

“After all, it costs us over £2.5 million each year sending waste to landfill. If we all make small, but effective changes, we can do our bit to reduce these costs and help protect the environment. It’s a win-win.”

The council is also introducing a new top-up service for food liners. Now, when residents are running low on liners, all they have to do is tie an unused one to the handle of their brown bin on their normal collection day and a new supply will be placed on top of the bin once it has been emptied.