Waste Reduction & Food

Criteria met if the council has successfully stopped using some single use plastic in the council office buildings and events. This excludes schools, leisure centres and other council buildings.

Points will be awarded if the council has done 2 or more of the following:
- installing water drinking fountains on the council estate/public spaces
- banning plastic cups for water
- reducing plastic packaging
- reducing the use of two or more of the following: plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks), plates, straws, beverage stirrers, balloon sticks or food and cup containers made of expanded polystyrene; including their covers and lids at their external events.

Two tier criteria
Point awarded if the council requires event organisers to provide additional information about their environmental commitments that make reference to single use plastic or items that will be used that will be recyclable, compostable or reusable (such as a cup refill scheme).

Further points awarded if the council has banned the use of all of the following at these external events: plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks), plates, balloon sticks or food and cup containers made of expanded polystyrene; including their covers and lids.

Criteria met if the council has done 2 or more of the following:
- Provided funding or space provided for a repair cafe or similar
- Provided funding or space for exchange shops or similar
- Signed up as part of circular economy project

Criteria met if the council supports an organisation that redistributes surplus food within the area through funding, staff or other ways (such as being listed as a partner of the project).

Criteria met if the strategy or work plan covers the whole council area (sometimes called place-based) and includes sections on sustainable food or the climate impacts of food.
The strategy must cover 6 months or more.

Criteria met if the council is listed on the Sustainable Food Places membership list, or, if there is evidence that the council is part of a sustainable food partnership that fulfills the same criteria as Sustainable Food Places membership. The council can either lead the partnership or be a key member, such as on the steering group.

Criteria met if the council has proactively created more space for local food growing through providing funding, land, staff or other resources to support:
- community orchards
- schools to have growing spaces
- community or city farms or gardens, including edible fruit/veg/herbs patches in public spaces such as parks, rooftops or grass verges.

Criteria met if the council does any one of the following:
- There is one complete vegetarian only day a week on the school menu on the council website
- The council's in-house catering has a policy to reduce meat in meals by 20% and provide plant-based alternatives, or runs a meat-free mondays or other vegetarian only days in schools
- The council requires external catering providers for schools to reduce meat in meals by 20% and provide plant-based alternatives, or runs a meat-free mondays or other vegetarian only days in schools

Criteria met if the council provides kerbside food waste recycling to most homes in the area.

Three Tier Criteria
Criteria met if the council has a recycling rate of 50% or more.
Additional points awarded if the council has a recycling rate of 60% and further points awarded if the council has a recycling rate of 70% or more.

Criteria met if the annual residual waste in kg per household in the area is 300-400kg per household.
Further points awarded if the annual residual waste in kg per household in the area is under 300kg per household.

This question is scoring councils on the amount of residual waste (kg) per household in each council.