Braintree District Council is supporting a new Essex-wide campaign - 'Power Up' - to encourage households make better use of their weekly food recycling service.
The gaming-themed campaign will use fun content to help residents start or continue recycling food, making it part of everyday life.
In 2024, an Essex-wide analysis of samples of household waste collected at kerbside, found that around 30% of the contents of non-recyclable waste bins was food waste. While recent changes to Braintree District Council's waste and recycling services have helped boost food recycling across the district, there is still more to do. Through the Power Up campaign, delivered in partnership with Essex County Council, the council aims to build on this progress and encourage more residents to make the most of their weekly food recycling service.
Food that is placed in the non-recyclable waste bins can cause unpleasant odours, especially during warmer weather. By improving their food recycling ‘game’, residents' bins can stay fresher for longer.
The 'Power Up' campaign will start from 28 September 2026. From this time, households with a non-recyclable waste bin will receive:
- an information leaflet full of tips and tricks about food recycling
- a reminder sticker, placed on their non-recyclable waste bin
- a free one-off roll of compostable food caddy liners.
The campaign will run until November and is expected to reach around 400,000 households across Essex and most properties in the Braintree District. It is aimed at helping to capture more food through weekly food recycling collections.
Food collected from households is sent to an anaerobic digestion (AD,) facility in Dagenham. It is then transformed into energy for homes and fertiliser for Essex farms.
Councillor Peter Schwier Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Operations and Pride in Place at Braintree District Council, said: “The Power Up campaign builds on the positive progress we have already made in improving food recycling across the district. Working in partnership with Essex County Council, this initiative will help us encourage even more residents to make full use of their weekly food recycling service. By recycling food waste, households can help reduce waste in non-recyclable waste bins while supporting the production of renewable energy and fertiliser.”
Residents who do not have an outdoor food caddy, or need a replacement, can request one online at Braintree District Council’s website.
To find out more about the ‘Power Up’ campaign, visit: www.loveessex.org/food-recycling