TENDRING Council is recycling about 12,000 tonnes of food waste every year, figures have revealed.

Data from waste reduction charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), shows about 67,000 homes in the district do have a separate food waste collection already.

This means Tendring Council, along with just over a third of English local authorities, are already a few years ahead of schedule.

Figures provided by 362 local authorities to Wrap for 2018/19 show Tendring Council is one of just 35 per cent of councils to provide a separate waste collection.

A total of 160 councils do not provide any food waste collections, and a further 16 per cent offer a system where people can dispose of leftovers alongside garden waste, or a mixture of the two.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said they will be working closely with local authorities to end confusion over household recycling.

She added: “Nobody wants to see good, nutritious food going to waste and harming our environment, which is why we’ve committed to eliminating food waste from landfill by 2030.”