COUNCIL officials are hoping to persuade residents in Hitchin and across our area to throw away less food.

Typically, around 52,000 tonnes of food ends up being thrown away in black bins – destined for landfill or incineration in 'energy recovery facilities'.

And that, say council officials, costs council taxpayers around £7.1million a year.

Now the county council has drawn-up £65,000 plans for a 'Hertfordshire Food Waste Initiative', as part of the 'Covid Recovery Strategy'.

The initiative would promote 'key facts' relating to food waste, with an emphasis on preventative measures to avoid food waste – cutting the financial and environmental costs.

And, says the report, it would be built around the template of the 'Play Your Part' campaign.

The initiative is one of a number of 'envirionment and infrastructure' proposals in the county council's proposed 'Covid Recovery Strategy' which are designed to support economic recovery.

In addition there is a £440,000 plan for the three year extension of the SaverCard scheme, which provides half price discount on bus travel, to include 20 to 25 year olds.

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"This would support an age group who are likely to be economically hardest hit in the coming months – allowing individuals easier access to employment, education, retail and leisure facilities and supporting Hertfordshire's wider economic recovery," says the report.

In addition it contains a £175,000 proposal to introduce e-wallets and flexible ticket options for bus travel in the county.

"This will support the demand for contactless payment and better reflect changing working patterns, thereby supporting the recovery of public transport services and the wider economy," says the report.

The £9.6m plans in the Covid Recovery Strategy were outlined to a meeting of the council's resources and performance cabinet panel.

But they will need the approval of a future meeting of the cabinet before they are allowed to go-ahead.