A SERIES of information sessions for households on the new food waste collection service will be held in the coming weeks.

Scottish Borders Council is introducing food waste collections to around 24,000 homes and the first phase of the new service is due to be introduced in Peebles next month.

Householders who receive this new collection service will get: two caddies - one for indoors and one for outdoors (outdoor caddy collected weekly); a free supply of liners and a full guide to the new service, before collections begin.

People living in some flats will use a large, outdoor communal food waste bin for their full liners of food waste from their indoor caddy.

Eight roadshow information sessions will be held in the communities included in the first phase of collections, and staff will be available to explain how it will work and answer any questions.

The roadshow dates in Peebles are: Thursday, April 30 from, 4.30pm to 6.30pm at St Joseph’s Neighbourhood Centre and Saturday, May 2 from 2pm to 4pm at Eastgate Theatre.

The introduction of food waste collections forms part of the Scottish government’s plan to divert as much waste as possible from landfill, to increase recycling and use food waste as a valuable resource such as agricultural fertilisers and energy.

The new food waste service will be able to be used for all cooked and uncooked food waste including pet food, egg shells and even bones, helping members of the public recycle even more from their household.

Councillor David Paterson, SBC’s executive member for environmental services, said: “Members of the public who are receiving this new service are bound to have questions. As a result this roadshow will aim to support householders as much as possible and explain how easy it will be to use the new service.

“The new service will reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. Instead, food waste will be turned into compost, natural fertilisers, and biogas fuel. By using the new food waste service householders will be helping the environment and reducing the amount of waste in their residual bin.” All households in the first phase of collections will have information sent directly to their home this month. The council has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions webpage at www.scotborders.gov.uk/foodwastefaqs for anyone seeking further information.