Published: 05 August 2024
From: Waste and recycling
ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾ Borough Council is starting to prepare for weekly food waste collections and the effect this will have on residents’ general rubbish collections.
In 2023, the government announced that councils must introduce a weekly food waste kerbside collection service for all households by 1 April 2026 as part of its Simpler Recycling scheme, which aims to create consistency in the way recycling, food waste and garden waste are collected across the country.
Food makes up almost half of what is put in household rubbish bins, so the roll out of these new collections will see the amount of general rubbish fall. This could enable a move to fortnightly general rubbish collections in ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾.
A typical rubbish bin in ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾ contains 38.2 per cent general waste and 44.2 per cent food waste.
At a meeting of the council’s Waste and Recycling Scrutiny Panel on 29 July, councillors discussed various options for waste collection arrangements alongside the introduction of food waste collection services.
It’s important to stress that no decision has been taken at this time. We’re investigating our options alongside the introduction of food waste collections in 18 months’ time. These new arrangements are a national requirement imposed on all councils by the previous government and are compulsory for us to implement. However, the move to fortnightly bin collections elsewhere has seen increased recycling, less rubbish and a lower carbon footprint for collection and disposal, which many local people tell us should be a high priority.
Councillor Bob Noyce
Cabinet member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾ Borough Council
tags: