THURROCK Council has confirmed it does not consider windfall from fruit trees in the grounds private homes as garden waste and says it will not take away brown bins that contain the apples, pears, plums and other fallen produce.

Instead they are telling residents to compost them at home.

The issue was raised on social media when refuse collectors declined to empty the garden waste bin of a resident in Horndon on the Hill.

That led to a public confrontation between the refuse team and resident, who later took to social media to say: "My apologies for the stand-off with the bin men on the High Road which caused delays to some local residents.

"The bin men refused to empty my brown bin that I had paid the £80 fee for.

"They said they do not collect fallen apples from the tree in my garden so I thought it was time to make a stand."

There has been widespread support for that stance and some residents have mocked the council.

However, it is standing by its decision and has issued a statement from Cllr Victoria Holloway, Cabinet member for Place and the Environment.

She says: "Garden waste and food waste are recycled using different processes at different plants, so it is important they are collected separately and each is sent to the right place.

"Garden waste, such as grass cuttings, cut flowers and leaves, which is sent to a plant where it's broken down naturally into compost by being left in the open air. This method of composting cannot be used to compost food waste

"Food waste, including unwanted fruit and vegetables, should be disposed of in the food waste bin. It is then sent to be different processing plant, which uses bacteria to break down organic matter; this creates methane which is collected and converted into biogas which will be used to generate electricity, heat or transport fuels. It also creates a nutrient-rich digestate that can be used as a fertiliser for agriculture and in land regeneration.

"Making sure waste food and garden waste are disposed of in the correct bin means they can be more efficiently recycled.

"Alternatively waste fruit or vegetables can be composted at home to help create a rich and natural plant food to help gardens thrive."

The council says there is 'useful information' to help resident start home composting on its website: https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/reducing-waste/composting