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A recent inquiry by the BBC reveals that nearly 25% of local councils in England will not meet the upcoming government-mandated deadline for providing weekly food waste collection services to all households. Despite promises from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) that “every household in England” would benefit from such collections starting next month under new legislation, at least 71 councils have reported they will be unable to comply on time.
Delays have been attributed primarily to the high demand for specialist collection vehicles and ongoing financial challenges—despite Defra’s allocation of over £340 million in grants. Environment minister Mary Creagh acknowledged that councils received “a significant uplift in this year’s budget” intended to support successful implementation, emphasizing the importance of progressing thoughtfully but promptly: “Do it slowly, do it right but let’s get on with it. We have been stagnating at these very low recycling rates for far too long.”
Before the introduction of the Simpler Recycling legislation, approximately half of councils already collected food waste weekly, while others had established these services for more than ten years. The variations mean not all local authorities need to make immediate changes to comply, but in an effort to assess readiness, the BBC contacted every council responsible for waste management. Among those missing the deadline, 56 plan to roll out the service by the end of 2026, while nine were unable to provide estimated start dates. Additionally, 31 councils have obtained formal agreements for delayed implementation, which means these will not be classified as missing the deadline. However, even accounting for these extensions, over a third of councils will still fall short of the March target for universal weekly food waste collections.
Financial pressures remain a key issue for many areas. For example, Shropshire Council expressed concerns that launching the service in April could pose “significant financial risk,” according to Cabinet member David Vasmer, who pointed out that funding covered only initial purchases of vehicles and bins, not ongoing operational costs. Similarly, South Derbyshire District Council cited “exceptionally high demand” for food waste vehicles as a supply constraint, while East Hampshire District Council confirmed that the shortage of bin lorries contributed to its delay in establishing the service. Local residents such as Greg Ford from Buriton, East Hampshire, who already composts food waste at home, expressed understanding for the council’s cautious approach, noting the service might intuitively reduce food wastage by encouraging better planning of leftovers. Meanwhile, residents like Patricia Jepheson in Worcester voiced frustration over delays, highlighting that other less resourced areas had managed earlier rollouts, making a 2027 start date difficult to comprehend.
The Simpler Recycling policy was designed to reduce confusion caused by inconsistent waste collection systems across England, where the number of bins and types of materials collected varied widely between councils. Adam Herriott, a senior specialist at the sustainability charity Wrap, explained the objective is to “enable everyone to recycle the same material, no matter where in England you are.” Under the new standard, residents will have collections for paper and cardboard, food waste, and dry recyclables including plastics, metal, and glass. Defra praised the policy for its potential to “end the postcode lottery of bin collection.” Rosemary Brotchie, Wrap’s senior food waste specialist, highlighted the environmental benefits by reducing landfill emissions and keeping waste streams cleaner to enhance recycling efficiency. She also pointed out that seeing the volume of food discarded can encourage people to rethink their habits and reduce waste generation overall.
Regarding recycling processes, food waste is heavy due to its water content, making its diversion from landfill or incineration impactful in raising national recycling rates. Instead, food waste typically undergoes anaerobic digestion, where it is broken down in tanks over several months to produce biomethane. Mark Barnfield, commercial director at Severn Trent Green Power, explained that the biomethane is then purified and either fed into the gas grid or converted into electricity, while the remaining digestate serves as fertilizer for farms. Barnfield also noted the advantages of a staggered rollout, avoiding system overloads that would result if every council began collections simultaneously. He added that aside from environmental benefits, anaerobic digestion may also be a more economical method for waste disposal compared to alternatives
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