The Co-op has urged local authorities across England to speed up the rollout of food waste collections from homes.

The calls come as figures reveal approximately 1,000 tonnes a day ends up in landfill when it could be composted or used to create energy and help cut greenhouse gases.

The retailer will be writing to all local authorities that do not collect food waste at all, calling for the introduction of universal food waste collections to be sped up, to help stop 356,000 tonnes of food waste, in England alone, going to landfill.

Currently 156 English councils (48%) do not have a kerbside food waste collection meaning that food waste in these areas is going to landfill.

Proposals being developed by the Government will see all homes receiving weekly food waste collections by 2023, but twice as much of the total food wasted in the UK a year could be recycled into energy and fertiliser, if this were to be introduced quicker.