Cartoon fun has serious food waste message

Ever heard someone say food waste recycling is a waste of time? Or that it all ends up in the same place anyway? A new animated video series from Lincolnshire Waste Partnership aims to clear things up – with a smile.

The fourpart series, called Rubbish Rumour, takes on some of the most common myths around food waste recycling, using short, lighthearted animations to explain what really happens to your leftovers once they leave the kitchen caddy.

Now available to watch in full on YouTube, the videos tackle familiar claims like “I already compost” and “it’s not worth bothering”, while also explaining why food waste caddies are smaller, collected weekly and have a job of their own.

The series supports the rollout of weekly food waste collections across Lincolnshire, part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling changes. It also answers a big question many residents have: where does food waste actually go? The answer – to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it’s turned into renewable energy and fertiliser for farms.

By keeping food waste out of the general bin, residents help reduce how much rubbish goes to Lincolnshire’s Energy from Waste facility and make sure unavoidable food scraps are put to good use instead.

As well as busting myths, the videos share simple, practical tips – what you can and can’t put in your caddy, why it helps keep other bins cleaner, and why even small amounts of food waste really do matter – did you know a banana skin has the potential to charge two mobile phones?

Cllr Danny Brookes, Chair of Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, said “We know that whenever a new service is introduced, there are questions and sometimes misconceptions. The Rubbish Rumour videos are a positive and engaging way to address those head on. They show residents exactly why food waste recycling matters and what happens to their food waste once it’s collected. Even small amounts make a difference when we all take part, and this series will help us continue to build awareness and understanding for years to come.”

We’ve included the first video above and the full Rubbish Rumour series can be watched on YouTube.