What happens to my food recycling

When you put your brown lid bin out on collection day is emptied by one of our five collection vehicles. Once all bins have been emptied, our vehicles travel to Braintree District Council where food from both districts is bulked together onto one vehicle and taken to one of two in-vessel composting facilities located just outside the county.

In-vessel composting facilities work in a similar way to your garden compost bin but the whole composting process takes around six weeks because the temperature, air and moisture are closely controlled.

 The temperature that in-vessel units reach kills all bugs and diseases so that the compost is safe for garden use.

When your food arrives at the facility it is shovelled into the first of six in-vessel units.

After a period of seven days the food is then moved to the second of six in-vessel units. This process is then repeated approximately every seven days until after six weeks you are left with a steaming pile of compost! However the compost is so hot it requires a few more weeks, out in the fresh air, for it to stabilise and cool.

From time to time the composting company allows us to take away some compost free of charge. We then invite residents to bring a bucket or container and take away some compost for their own garden. Previous compost “giveaways” have taken place in Saffron Walden, Stansted, Great Dunmow, Thaxted and Clavering.

Please keep visiting the site or watch out for press releases for the next compost giveaway.