Gwynedd Council's new £1.6 million composting plant at Ffridd Rasus, Harlech has been officially opened by Council Chairman, Councillor Evie Morgan Jones on Friday, 27 June.

The state-of-the-art "in vessel" facility can compost all types of kitchen waste, and will help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill in Gwynedd.

As he officially unveiled the new facility, Gwynedd Council Chairman, Councillor Evie Morgan Jones said:

"I am delighted to open this modern waste facility, which once again shows that Gwynedd is leading the way in this important field. The plant, which is one of the first of its kind in Wales, will be able to treat around 5,000 tonnes of food and garden waste every year.

"This new composting facility at Ffridd Rasus now allows Dwyfor residents to recycle their food waste, and those living in the Meirionnydd and Arfon areas of the county will be able to enjoy a similar service in the near future."

Gwynedd Council's Recycling Team have already distributed kitchen caddies to Dwyfor homes so that residents can dispose of their food waste in their brown wheelie bins along with their garden waste. All the mixed food and garden waste which is collected is now transported to Ffridd Rasus and put in the composting machine, where it is turned into high-quality compost.

Councillor Arwel Pierce, Gwynedd Council's Highways and Municipal Services Portfolio Leader added:

"Gwynedd residents have already made significant strides in reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill, but we all realise that we can do more to recycle and compost our waste. We hope that the kitchen caddies - like the brown wheelie bins and blue recycling boxes- will become a natural part of our everyday lives. This scheme shows that making small changes in our habits can make a big difference.

"The response to the new food waste collection service by Dwyfor residents in the first few weeks has been very promising, with around 120 tonnes of combined food and garden waste collected and sent to the new Ffridd Rasus composting plant in the first week."

The composting facility was supplied and installed by composting technology company, TEG Environmental, whose Chief Executive Mick Fishwick said:

"Gwynedd Council is the first local authority in North Wales to have introduced alternative technology for green and food waste disposal and we are pleased that they have chosen the TEG technology."

The new Dwyfor food waste collection service also caters for residents who do not have a brown wheelie bin, such as those without a garden or room for storing a wheelie bin who will be offered a new 22 litre brown bin that will be collected from the usual waste collection points.

The £1.6 million scheme, financed by European money will be extended to the Meirionnydd area over the coming months. As well as this, Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy councils are currently co-working to open a similar site in Anglesey which will service the Arfon area.

If you have any questions about this new service or any other mater relating to recycling or refuse collection in Gwynedd, please phone Gwynedd Council's Waste and Recycling Helpdesk on (01286) 679872 or send an email to recycling@gwynedd.gov.uk