Food Waste Collection, Starting Soon!
From March 2026, every council in England will be carrying out weekly household collection of food waste, a new legal requirement by the government. This new service will play an important role in increasing the amount of waste we recycle, reducing our impact on the environment. Government funding will cover the cost of this new service.
Food waste makes up about 30% of the average household waste bin. By using separate food waste collection, you will free up space in your rubbish bin and help cut down on the amount of waste going to incineration. The secure plastic caddies should also reduce the attraction of wildlife to regular rubbish bins.
The new food waste containers will be delivered to all households in Hastings, together with instructions on how to use them. Each home will be given a small food caddy to keep in their kitchen and a larger food waste container for outside, to be collected weekly. You will also receive a roll of compostable liners to get started. Only food waste contained within compostable liners will be collected.
If you use communal bins, you will receive a small kitchen caddy and a food wheelie bin with a special lid for your communal bin area for shared use. If you have individual bins in a bin store area and there is enough space, you will be given your own outside food caddy.
For those already composting their own vegetable waste, the service can be used for any food waste you would not normally compost such as plate scrapings, meat and bones.
Food waste will be collected weekly from the end of March and you will receive a letter confirming the collection day before collections begin if it is on a different day to your rubbish and recycling collections.
Your outside food container should be placed at the boundary of your property by 7am (or 6am where this is already required) on the day of collection, or at your usual collection point. Collection crews will then empty the container.
The food waste will be turned into high quality soil conditioner called Pro-Grow to be used on local farms. It will also be available to buy at household waste recycling sites.
To find out more about the new food waste service visit the FAQs page hastings.gov.uk/waste_recycling/food-waste/faqs
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply