A campaign to encourage more food waste recycling in Somerset is already bearing fruit – despite concerns about how green the marketing is.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) recently launched its Slim My Waste, Feed My Face campaign, encouraging people to decorate their bins to encourage more food waste to be recycled rather than being sent to landfill.

Numerous residents have questioned the green credentials of the scheme on social media – including whether the stickers being sent to every household are made of single use plastic.

But the SWP has said the materials are fully recyclable – and that the campaign has already led to increased recycling at the kerbside.

All food waste collected is sent to the SWP's anaerobic digestion plant near Bridgwater, providing power for homes and compost for local farmers to grow more food.

At present, the campaign has only been rolled out to half the county, with stickers being sent in the post to the remaining households over the coming weeks.

In the area which has received stickers, food waste recycling has increased by around 30 per cent, and more than 8,500 additional food waste collection containers have been requested by families.

The stickers allow people to decorate their food bins with facial expressions and to put a yellow tape measure around their refuse bins as a reminder not to dump food waste in them.

But not everyone has been convinced by the campaign, with numerous comments being left on the SWP's social media pages.

Allison Still posted: "I wonder why you have used plastic tape around every bin? Did you really have to introduce so much more plastic into a world already struggling with the recycling of it all?

Nicki Rowlands said: "I'm not sure that plastic tape that will soon come off and be littering the countryside was the best idea.

"It seems like a bit of a waste of time and money just to cause extra waste."

Louise Mortimore said: "The tape around the bin was low-quality tape that doesn't stick properly and folds over when applied. The top sticker wasn't even stick down properly."

VSJ added on Twitter: "Personally I don't want decorated bins, I just want them to be emptied regularly as they are now."

The SWP has said the stickers and other campaign materials are "multi-use and recyclable", stating the environmental benefits of the food waste recycling would outweigh the impact of producing the stickers.

"A spokesman said: "Recycling food waste is far cheaper, more productive and less polluting than burying it in landfill to generate greenhouse gases.

"By nudging people to do the right thing, the campaign will swiftly make back all its costs, and generate further saving for other vital local services.

"The stickers and tape have drawn plenty of attention and raised some eyebrows, but they certainly seem to have got people thinking and recycling more.

"We knew from Bristol Waste Company's development of this campaign that it would more than pay its way, but these results have exceeded our expectations – in terms of overall environmental benefit and financially.

"The carbon saving from the food waste we're collecting will far outweigh the environmental impact of the tape and stickers."

As part of the campaign, the SWP has teamed up with a dozen Co-op stores in Somerset, who are giving out both kitchen caddies and outside food waste bins.

New bins can also be ordered online via www.somersetwaste.gov.uk, being delivered within 15 working days.

The SWP and Co-op previously collaborated over the launch of the latter's compostable carrier bags – which cost the same as the 5p single use bags they replaced.

A Co-op spokesman said: "We are delighted to be working once again with SWP on food waste, this time to help promote its 'Slim My Waste' campaign to help residents recycle more food.

"While more and more people are recycling, too much food still ends up in rubbish bins.

"Participating Co-op stores will be giving away free kitchen caddies and food waste kerbside bins, so anyone can start recycling all their food waste and stop sending it to landfill."

You can pick up a food waste caddy from the The Frome Culverhill Co-op store.

For more information about the campaign, including what items can be collected and recycled, visit www.somersetwaste.gov.uk/slimmywaste.

To be in with a chance of winning free "eco-goodies", share pictures of your decorated food waste bins on social media using the hashtag #FeedmyfaceSWP.