AS I survey the breathaking backdrop of rolling hills and sweeping countryside, it is hard to imagine the farm to which I am following a food waste collection truck has the capacity to deal with up to 25,000 tonnes of food waste.

After binmen have dutifully picked up the blue food waste collection boxes and thrown the contents into the back of one of the two brand-new bright green and yellow trucks operated by contractor Focsa, the bio-degradable bags sold at more than 20 different shops across the district are driven down the M5 and M50 over the border into Gloucestershire.

As I pull up to Rose Hill recycling farm in Dymock, the first thing I notice as I step out of my car is the lack of any stomach-churning smells in the air, which is quite an amazing feat for a farm that takes the rotting remains from households across not only Wychavon District Council, but Gloucester, Stroud and the Cotswolds as well.

On a tour led by owner Mark Bennion, I watch as the truck weighs in before it dumps its load onto the concrete floor behind the closed doors – to stop any potential spread of foot and mouth – of what can only be described as a massive warehouse.

It is here that food waste and garden waste are put together in a mixer using a special recipe, but that’s only once all shreds of plastic have been removed.

Mr Bennion said: “That is our biggest gripe. If there are plastics in there we have to handpick them out, which is not the most pleasant of jobs.

“We don’t send much to landfill but if there weren’t any plastics, nothing would go to landfill.”

On this visit, only a bag half full of mouldy bread and an empty ice-cream container fell off the top of the pile of unwanted and unused food, but there was undoubtedly more underneath.

Once the plastic-free concoction has been mixed, it is transferred into one of four huge vessels which, once full, are closed off. Air is then pumped into the chamber through ventilated filters to help the waste build up temperature and reach 60C.

After a couple of days of decomposing, the load is transferred to one of three other vessels at the back of the warehouse, where it is again heated up to the same temperature. As the doors were pulled back to reveal a recently finished batch, a strong smell of ammonia filled the room but, as Mr Bennion pointed out, it was nothing more offensive than what you might come across on a traditional farm.

Mr Bennion said samples were then taken away to test for salmonella, but Rose Hill had not had any problems since the decision was made to diversify the business in this way after the outbreak of foot and mouth in 2000.

Assuming the test results are negative, the compost is transferred outside, where it rests. Once the process is complete the compost is used on 13,000 acres of farmland to produce 5,000 tonnes of potatoes, which are mainly sold to Tesco, 2,000 tonnes of wheat, 1,000 tonnes of oil-seed rape, and 150 tonnes of herbage seed.

Mr Bennion said that after a recent trial, he would also be selling some of the compost in bags next year. He has also installed a woodchip burner which he hopes will one day be able to fuel the running of the whole site and speed up the composting process.

Wychavon’s community services manager Phil Merrick said recent research showed about 50 per cent of residents across the district are using the food waste collection service. Although other councils in similar positions had managed a 60 to 70 per cent return, the figures did not take into account those who might be composting their own food waste at home.

Mr Merrick admitted that food waste is only taken to Rose Hill during green bin collection weeks, while the food waste collected with grey bin waste goes straight to landfill. While he hoped there would come a time when all food waste could be sent for composting every week, that fate essentially rested with Worcestershire County Council, which pays for waste disposal, while Wychavon just pays to collect and transport it.

With the new waste and recycling service due to roll out to 38,000 homes in March, Mr Merrick said his team was beginning to get on top of the problems experienced with phase one. He said: “I can’t say we are 100 per cent there yet with getting all of the bins out to everyone because we are getting a few requests coming in each week.

“We are more on a changeover programme now though – we have teams out changing the size of bins because people want bigger ones or smaller ones.”

Mr Merrick said problems with bins not being collected, especially in rural areas caused by binmen not knowing their new rounds, was being tackled by putting teams back on familiar routes.

He said: “That has certainly improved the reliability of the service. We still get reports of miscollections, about 40 a week, which is too many and that needs to come down.

“The crews are still getting used to their rounds so there are some properties that are being missed. Focsa’s contract manager Dave Westwood has a flagging system so they immediately get passed on to the crews.

“The level of complaints and problems are manageable now though and the needs can be dealt with. We are getting crews back to homes within 24 hours and if you go back three or four weeks ago we would have struggled to do that.”

Mr Merrick said one of the biggest lessons he has learned with the rollout of phase one was that people did not like having their waste collection days changed.

He said even though householders whose collection days had been changed were notified in leaflets sent to their homes, many had been left confused.

Mr Merrick also dispelled fears that the new system costs more than the old one.

“The bins were a substantial capital outlay but over three years they will pay for themselves,” he said, pointing out that bin bags also cost the council money to buy and distribute.

Despite the teething troubles, Wychavon’s recycling rate has increased from 24 per cent to 34 per cent in a year since last October.

Councillor Anna Mackison, executive board member for environment and contracted services at the council, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with this increase. Can I thank our residents for embracing the new services and helping deliver this dramatic improvement to our recycling rate.

“We expect this performance to improve further in the new year when the new collection services are extended across the rest of the district.”