By . Ben Spencer . Families should be banned from sending any food waste to landfill, according to a group of MPs. The controversial proposal, which would see all English homes forced to use ‘slop buckets’ to recycle kitchen scraps, was last night welcomed by green campaigners. Claiming its aim is to tackle a throwaway society, the Commons Environmental Audit Committee urged the Government to force councils to compost or re-use 100 per cent of food waste. Scroll down for video . The Commons Environmental Audit Committee wants to ban households from sending food waste to landfills . Labour MP . Joan Walley, who chairs the committee, said: ‘Food waste could be used . to produce biogas for energy and fertiliser for our farming system, yet . at the moment too much is thrown into landfill where its value is lost . and it produces climate-changing gases like methane.’ Nearly . 7.6million households in Britain – 27 per cent of all homes – already . have kitchen waste collections. But many are reluctant to use them, with . just 6 per cent of all food sent for recycling. They consider the food caddies unhygienic and messy, and too liable to be knocked over and targeted by vermin. Doretta . Cocks, founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: ‘I . have a food caddy and I don’t use it – I don’t want it sitting in my . kitchen and I don’t want it sitting on the pavement. ‘They get full of maggots, they aren’t done up properly and they spill over on the street. ‘What I can’t see is how councils would enforce a rule like this – bin men aren’t going to go through your wheelie bin to check if there’s any food in there are they?’ The green lobby is keen to see the expansion of food collections and stricter rubbish rules. Friends of the Earth campaigner Julian Kirby said: ‘We live in a throwaway society we cannot sustain. With the enormous energy, water and land cost of producing food, particularly meat and dairy products, the committee is absolutely right to propose a ban on food waste to landfill.’ The committee’s report said: ‘Just 400,000 tonnes of food waste is separately collected for organic recycling in the UK out of the 7.2million tonnes thrown out by households every year – around 6 per cent. Instead this food waste could be collected separately and composted or used in anaerobic digesters to produce biogas and renewable energy and fertiliser.’ The report also criticised councils’ inconsistent recycling schemes, which it said should be standardised across England. It also proposed lower VAT on recycled products and longer warranties for consumer goods. But the report was dismissed by the Government as unrealistic.The Department for Communities and Local Government, which has authority over England’s councils, has tried to bring back weekly bin collections and simplify the recycling system. But it has faced resistance from authorities trying to cope with reduced costs while meeting tough EU recycling targets. Penny Mordaunt, who was appointed Communities Minister in last week’s reshuffle, said: ‘We don’t agree with these calls which would result in a proliferation of bins. ‘Rather than bullying families with unfair fines and confusing bin rules, councils should be providing regular and comprehensive rubbish and recycling collections, especially given people pay a lot of money in council tax.’ The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: ‘There is a strong case for banning not just food from landfill, but also furniture, paints and textiles. This will help promote  a thriving reuse economy.’
Government urged to force councils to compost or re-use all food waste .
Nearly 7.6million UK households already have kitchen waste collections .
Just 400,000 tonnes of food waste recycled out of 7.2m tonnes binned .
Food waste to be used to produce biogas and make fertilliser for farms .
By . Ben Spencer . Families should be banned from sending any food waste to landfill, according to a group of MPs. The controversial proposal, which would see all English homes forced to use ‘slop buckets’ to recycle kitchen scraps, was last night welcomed by green campaigners. Claiming its aim is to tackle a throwaway society, the Commons Environmental Audit Committee urged the Government to force councils to compost or re-use 100 per cent of food waste. Scroll down for video . The Commons Environmental Audit Committee wants to ban households from sending food waste to landfills . Labour MP . Joan Walley, who chairs the committee, said: ‘Food waste could be used . to produce biogas for energy and fertiliser for our farming system, yet . at the moment too much is thrown into landfill where its value is lost . and it produces climate-changing gases like methane.’ Nearly . 7.6million households in Britain – 27 per cent of all homes – already . have kitchen waste collections. But many are reluctant to use them, with . just 6 per cent of all food sent for recycling. They consider the food caddies unhygienic and messy, and too liable to be knocked over and targeted by vermin. Doretta . Cocks, founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: ‘I . have a food caddy and I don’t use it – I don’t want it sitting in my . kitchen and I don’t want it sitting on the pavement. ‘They get full of maggots, they aren’t done up properly and they spill over on the street. ‘What I can’t see is how councils would enforce a rule like this – bin men aren’t going to go through your wheelie bin to check if there’s any food in there are they?’ The green lobby is keen to see the expansion of food collections and stricter rubbish rules. Friends of the Earth campaigner Julian Kirby said: ‘We live in a throwaway society we cannot sustain. With the enormous energy, water and land cost of producing food, particularly meat and dairy products, the committee is absolutely right to propose a ban on food waste to landfill.’ The committee’s report said: ‘Just 400,000 tonnes of food waste is separately collected for organic recycling in the UK out of the 7.2million tonnes thrown out by households every year – around 6 per cent. Instead this food waste could be collected separately and composted or used in anaerobic digesters to produce biogas and renewable energy and fertiliser.’ The report also criticised councils’ inconsistent recycling schemes, which it said should be standardised across England. It also proposed lower VAT on recycled products and longer warranties for consumer goods. But the report was dismissed by the Government as unrealistic.The Department for Communities and Local Government, which has authority over England’s councils, has tried to bring back weekly bin collections and simplify the recycling system. But it has faced resistance from authorities trying to cope with reduced costs while meeting tough EU recycling targets. Penny Mordaunt, who was appointed Communities Minister in last week’s reshuffle, said: ‘We don’t agree with these calls which would result in a proliferation of bins. ‘Rather than bullying families with unfair fines and confusing bin rules, councils should be providing regular and comprehensive rubbish and recycling collections, especially given people pay a lot of money in council tax.’ The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: ‘There is a strong case for banning not just food from landfill, but also furniture, paints and textiles. This will help promote  a thriving reuse economy.’
Government to force councils to compost or re-use the committee, said: ‘Food waste could be used . methane.’ Nearly . 7.6million households in have kitchen waste collections. But many are all food sent for recycling. They consider the committee’s report said: ‘Just 400,000 tonnes of recycling in the UK out of the 7.2million tonnes anaerobic digesters to produce biogas and