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Recently, extensive surveys have been carried out to determine what proportion of households are participating and what householders actually think of the trials and recycling in general. The council says these results will be published shortly.

Jane Savage, Recycling Officer at West Devon Borough Council, said:
"We are looking forward to the full results of these surveys.  Initial findings show that residents are unsure how to re-order more compostable liners for the caddies. A note inside, or attached to the top of the container, when it is put out on collection day should prompt the crews to return a pack of liners with the container. If for any reason this doesn't happen please call our Customer Services on 01822 813600, who will be happy to help.  In the meantime, please wrap the waste in newspaper."

Processing the waste
The food, including cooked meat and bones, is collected from households weekly and taken to a special processing plant in Devon where it is treated in an enclosed vessel.  The temperature is carefully controlled to ensure that the finished product is sterile and can be used for a range of horticultural and land reclamation purposes.

West Devon Borough Council have introduced the collections to divert this type of waste away from landfill.  Sending food waste to landfill causes pockets of methane to develop. Left in landfill, methane will slowly leak into the atmosphere, where it is more damaging than carbon dioxide.

The trial runs for one year and has been mainly funded by a grant from the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Cllr Chris Jenkins, Chairman of the Council's Environment & Community Committee, said:
"We have been very impressed by the enthusiasm and passion shown by the participants of this scheme; it is a clear indicator of the importance our residents place on helping the environment.

"The Council have worked extremely hard (and on a tight budget) to find every possible avenue for recycling our waste from the home and garden.  I would stress that this is just the start of a major change in how we deal with our waste and we are encouraged by the very active support we are getting from the community."