When it comes to recycling, there’s been a big difference between the haves and have-nots across the UK for the past few years... we’re talking food waste collections.
Half the country has had separate food waste collections in place for years; the other half hasn’t. But from March 31st the gap will be closing.
This is when the Government’s Simpler Recycling legislation comes into effect, requiring all councils to recycle the same materials. The aim is to reduce landfill waste by ending national differences around recycling.
But 31 English councils have been granted extensions to this deadline to allow existing disposal contracts to expire. So if the idea of a separate food waste collection is news to you, it’s likely that your local council is one these.
The BBC reported last week that 79 councils would not meet the deadline (excluding those with exemptions) but 57 of these aimed to launch their service by the end of 2026. More than a dozen could not give an approximate start date.
The new rules will bring in change for a lot of people, but all for the good of the environment.
Why are councils doing this?
Local authorities are obliged by law (the Environment Act 2021) to collect food waste separately.
Until recently, only half the councils in England were providing separate food waste collections, along with those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Most major European countries already have separate collections.
Why the change?
Food waste isn’t rubbish, it’s a valuable resource - depending on how it’s treated.
If food waste is collected along with general waste, it’s either incinerated or buried in landfill causing huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
But if it’s collected separately, it’s taken to anaerobic digestion plants or municipal composting facilities, where it’s reprocessed to create renewable energy or fertiliser for farmland.
According to the waste charity WRAP, one kitchen caddy of food waste produces enough electricity to power a fridge for 18 hours.
It’s estimated that national kerbside food waste collections will mean a reduction in greenhouse gases of 1.25 million tonnes per year.
Plus, research shows that as people become aware of how much they are wasting they tend to waste less and recycle more.
How do separate collections work?
Councils provide households with a small food waste caddy for the kitchen. This caddy accepts all food waste, as well as pet food, but no liquids, oils or fats.
When the caddy is full, the waste is emptied into an external bin, also provided by the council. This will either be exclusively for food waste, or for food waste mixed with garden waste. The council collects food waste once a week.
Councils can choose to provide residents with bags or stackable boxes as alternatives to bins.
Each council has control over whether householders should line the caddy with bags or paper, so check your own local authority's requirements as these can vary greatly.
What happens if I don’t separate food waste?
If food waste is put in the wrong bin, collection crews may refuse to empty the bin as it could contaminate the entire truckload. The crew may leave a sticker or hanger on an uncollected bin.
Repeated incidents can result in warning letters from the council, fines and removal of the bin.
A contaminated load would have to be sent to landfill or incineration. Over time, council tax bills may rise due to increased costs involved in treating contaminated truckloads.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) estimates that 6% of household waste sent for recycling was rejected in 2023-24.
What if I accidentally throw food waste in the wrong bin?
Remove it and put it in the correct bin before the next collection.
The general opinion among householders we have spoken to is that while there might be a few instances of forgetting the 'new normal', people quickly adapt.
One lady in her 80s whose council has just started separate food waste collections said she had easily got used to the new way of doing things.
‘I just needed to keep reminding myself when I accidentally put things in the old bin like I used to.’
What about composting at home?
Some people decide to take control of their own food and garden waste, and home composting is the ideal way to do this.
What other changes will happen with Simpler Recycling?
Even if councils have a later implementation date for food waste collections, they should still be collecting:
· * Non-recyclable items (referred to as residual waste)
· * Paper, card
· * Other dry recycling – plastics, metals, glass.
From April 2027 councils will also be required to collect plastic film and flexible wrapping, such as bread bags, crisp packets and food wrapping.
‘A positive move for the environment’
We asked the opinion of some householders who have had separate food waste collections for 17 years. This is what they said:
‘A good point is that you see how much food is wasted and that makes you want to reduce your wastage.’
‘It was really easy to get into the habit; there’s nothing to dislike.’
‘Separating food waste means your main bin smells clean as food is in another container.’
‘The outside bin is locked shut with the handle to prevent scavengers.’
‘I always found it easy, probably because we always composted vegetable waste anyway. We had to get used to having two food waste bins as we still wanted to separate vegetable waste for composting. For us it was a case of finding space for both bins.’
‘Occasionally the plastic caddy can smell a bit but as it’s small it’s easy to wash.’
‘Our council provides compostable liner bags for the caddy, which are really good. Food waste can be wrapped in paper if you run out of liners.’
‘It’s a positive move for the environment.’