Food - What happens to your waste and recycling?

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg

Why is it important to recycle food waste?

Did you know that £17 billion worth of edible food is thrown away in the UK every year?

Food waste has a huge impact on the environment if it ends up in landfill – as it rots, it releases methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas.

Some food waste such as banana peels and plate scrapings are inevitable. Fortunately, this food waste can be recycled in the Vale of Glamorgan.



What happens to my food waste after it is collected?

The Vale of Glamorgan Council collects food waste from residents every week. In 2023/24, the Council collected 7,000 tonnes of food waste from residents in the Vale.

Once collected, your food waste is brought by our crews to a local recycling centre, where it is unloaded from the lorry and into a skip.

Once full, these skips are taken to a food waste treatment plan in Cardiff run by Welsh Water.

Welsh Water will then break down the food waste via a process known as anaerobic digestion - recovering the gas that is then used for driving turbines and generating electric.

Watch the video to learn more about the process:


How is food waste used?

The recovered biogas is captured and converted into green energy, including electricity, heat, and transport fuels.

It also produces bio-fertiliser, which supports farming and land regeneration.

Recycling food waste helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels, protecting wildlife, human health, and the environment—while providing a sustainable, eco-friendly energy source.

View this page in Welsh / Gweld y tudalen hwn yn Gymraeg

Why is it important to recycle food waste?

Did you know that £17 billion worth of edible food is thrown away in the UK every year?

Food waste has a huge impact on the environment if it ends up in landfill – as it rots, it releases methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas.

Some food waste such as banana peels and plate scrapings are inevitable. Fortunately, this food waste can be recycled in the Vale of Glamorgan.



What happens to my food waste after it is collected?

The Vale of Glamorgan Council collects food waste from residents every week. In 2023/24, the Council collected 7,000 tonnes of food waste from residents in the Vale.

Once collected, your food waste is brought by our crews to a local recycling centre, where it is unloaded from the lorry and into a skip.

Once full, these skips are taken to a food waste treatment plan in Cardiff run by Welsh Water.

Welsh Water will then break down the food waste via a process known as anaerobic digestion - recovering the gas that is then used for driving turbines and generating electric.

Watch the video to learn more about the process:


How is food waste used?

The recovered biogas is captured and converted into green energy, including electricity, heat, and transport fuels.

It also produces bio-fertiliser, which supports farming and land regeneration.

Recycling food waste helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels, protecting wildlife, human health, and the environment—while providing a sustainable, eco-friendly energy source.