Food scraps could be collected in separate caddies as part of an ambitious plan to boost recycling in Norfolk. Broadland District Council is considering a trial scheme which could see thousands of homes supplied with 'caddies' for the weekly collection.

Food scraps could be collected in separate caddies as part of an ambitious plan to boost recycling in Norfolk.

Broadland District Council is considering a trial scheme which could see thousands of homes supplied with 'caddies' for the weekly collection.

And the authority is keen to learn the lessons of wartime, with officers set to talk to the Norfolk Older People's Forum to glean how how previous generations 'recycled' scraps.

While composters are a popular way of cutting bin waste throughout the county, some foods such as cooked foods or meats and fish cannot be placed in them, prompting the need for an alternative form of disposal.

The move follows the launch of a £150,000 scheme in Waveney where 5,000 families in the Lowestoft and Halesworth area will have separate bins for food waste and a bag for glass bottles and jars.

Waveney decided to act after discovering that 33pc or 8,000 tonnes of waste dumped in landfill was food.

Shelagh Gurney, Broadlansd's portfolio holder for environmental policy development, said the trials were part of a raft of eco-friendly measures being considered.

Other proposals included initiatives to cut the carbon footprints of individuals and organisations and the appointment of a new waste reduction officer.

“One of the things we are looking at is the collection of food waste, I will be looking at some trials in some households,” she said.

“Each individual household in the trial will get a caddy which is put out each week. The food waste will go off to a digesting process

And she hoped a local firm may be able to process the material.

“Keeping it out of the wheelie bin means we hit our targets and council tax doesn't go up,” she added. “Food waste is the next big campaign and the one we have got to redress.”