As some residents may already be aware, important changes will soon be made to the council’s waste and recycling service.

This week, letters have been sent out to every household in the borough, informing people about the forthcoming changes.

Perhaps the biggest of these is the introduction of separate, weekly food waste collections.

From September, this service will be trialled across certain areas of the town, and the trial areas will start to receive their new food caddies from mid-July.

As a council, we are committed to protecting the environment and managing the town’s waste and recycling in a safe and responsible way.

The new food waste collections will, we hope, go some way towards improving our recycling rates and encouraging people to think about the rubbish they are throwing away.

In our recent consultation, more than 70 per cent of residents asked for this change, so we are delighted to be following through with peoples’ wishes.

Once it has been collected, the food waste is put through a special machine called an anaerobic digester. As the waste breaks down it gives off methane, which is used to generate electricity and is a much more environmentally-friendly way of disposing of food waste.

It is also worth noting that food waste can be recycled into a high-quality fertiliser for use on agricultural land.

Another notable change is the introduction of fees for recycling boxes. Last year we spent £90,000 supplying new boxes, which I am sure people will agree is a huge amount of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

A £7 charge for new recycling boxes will therefore be introduced on August 1. Many other councils already do this and I am confident it is the right approach for Swindon, too.

Finally, we are going to start making recycling mandatory. From August 1, residents will be expected to place all of their recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, cans, glass bottles and jars into recycling boxes instead of the black wheelie bin or blue bag.

Our specialist waste wardens will be on hand to work with residents to ensure they know exactly how, and what, to recycle.

Last year, the council’s cabinet passed a new waste strategy which aims to reduce the amount of rubbish that we, as a town, produce.

In Swindon, we have a really positive story to tell about becoming more environmentally friendly and these new approaches to waste management will, I believe, help us play our part in protecting the natural world for future generations.