Farron calls on Government to help South Lakeland families step up recycling

Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson and local MP Tim Farron used yesterday's final DEFRA Oral Question session of the current parliament to call on the Government to help families in South Lakeland step up their recycling by investing in anaerobic digestion.

Figures uncovered by Mr Farron revealed that the average household throws away between 480-680 worth of food every year. If used to generate biogas through anaerobic digestion, this would generate enough electricity to power over 2million homes.

Speaking yesterday in the House of Commons, Mr Farron accused the Government of falling behind European neighbours such as Germany, who currently have 2,500 anaerobic digesters compared to just 38 in the UK.

Commenting Mr Farron said:

"In just one year, UK households throw away enough household waste to power a town the size of Kendal for the next 65 years.

"Not only is this incredibly wasteful, but it's also counterproductive as a lot of this waste could be converted into renewable energy through technology such as anaerobic digestion.

"Yet despite the incredible potential of this technology, the Government have consistently lagged behind its European counterparts who for years have been investing in A.D and are now reaping the benefits.

"If this Government is serious about reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill then they must start investing more in anaerobic digestion."