EAST Devon District Council (EDDC) was in the final in this year’s prestigious Plant and Waste Recycling Awards.

The council was a finalist in the Food Waste Award category - the award recognises the Local Authority or regional partnership that has addressed the food waste problem and provided residents with information and equipment that has helped reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill.

The awards ceremony in Torquay was attended by 320 people including EDDC’s environment portfolio Councillor Iain Chubb and waste manager, Paul Deakin.

A council spokesman said: “Since introducing its food waste scheme in East Devon, the council has seen a year on year reduction in food waste going to landfill.

“In the last financial year residents placed 6082 tonnes of food waste out for collection, which represents about 25 per cent of the amount of waste which was sent to landfill before the scheme was introduced. “

The by-product of this waste is either used in compost or to drive generators which produce electricity.

.