A DISTRICT council has defended spending �1400 on chefs to teach the public how to recycle.

North Herts District Council forked out for the demonstration last November with the money coming out of the public purse in January.

The authority claim the demonstrations helped illustrate the growing financial and environmental cost of food waste and what residents can do to combat it.

Cllr Peter Burt, NHDC’s portfolio holder for waste, recycling and environment, said: “At the moment, around a third of the average household’s grey bin is food waste. That means 7,000 tonnes of food going to land fill in a year. With land fill charges as high as they are, this costs the taxpayer half a million pounds.

“All in all, I believe it is extremely important to raise awareness of these issues in an engaging, thought-provoking and cost-effective way. The cookery events, along with a range of other activities that have contributed to the campaign, have helped to do that.”