SEPARATE food waste refuse collections could soon be coming to Wharfedale soon as Bradford Council tries out new ways of meeting Government environmental targets.

Environment Minister, Ben Bradshaw, last week congratulated Bradford Council on its announcement that it will start a pilot scheme this year to collect food waste separately from other household rubbish.

The council's environment portfolio holder, Ilkley ward councillor, Anne Hawkesworth, says the council aims to be at the forefront of environmentally sympathetic waste disposal.

She could not confirm where in the district the pilot scheme would take place, but says if it were successful, the council would introduce dedicated food waste collections throughout the district as soon as possible.

The council's head of environmental services, Richard Wixey, revealed last week that working with the Bradford Organic Collection Service, the scheme will test the feasibility of using the waste as it bio-degrades, as opposed to sending it to landfill.

The council made the announcement on the day the Government unveiled its latest strategy to reduce waste consumption in the UK.

The new plans dramatically increase Whitehall targets for recycling, demanding that a minimum of 40 per cent of household waste is recycled or composted by 2010, rising to half by 2020.

Mr Bradshaw said: "I congratulate Bradford for choosing to go down this route.

"There are 15 local authorities which conduct separate food waste collections and we would welcome the practices providing they are planned out properly."

Rubbish sent to landfill is a major source of methane, a destructive greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to climate change.

Mr Bradshaw also supported council plans to incinerate biodegradable waste as a means of generating energy.

Council bosses are currently tendering for a private contractor to handle the district's waste. Mr Wixey said that it would provide an incentive to bidders who planned to create energy from waste.

However, speculation that spy chips' could be installed in the bins of Wharfedale people to check on their recycling habits has been rubbished.

But Mr Wixey said no bins in Bradford have the technology and such measures would be a last resort.