The County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Universal Services, Councillor Kirsty North, said: “I’m pleased to confirm arrangements to support the expansion of a kerbside food waste service which will play an important role in boosting our county’s overall recycling rates. This follows my approval of plans to build a £50m facility in Eastleigh to enable residents to recycle a much wider range of plastics, including pots, tubs, trays, cartons, and soft plastic film for the first time, as we overhaul our approach to waste in Hampshire.
“The introduction of separate food waste collections from every Hampshire household will ensure that food waste can be sent to anaerobic digestion facilities and used to create new products rather than lost to disposal. It will also help keep contamination of dry waste materials down.”
Currently, food waste collections are operated by Eastleigh Borough Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, and Portsmouth City Council, with New Forest District Council currently phasing in this new service. All other Hampshire Waste Collection Authorities will be introducing food waste collections between now and April next year.
The plans support the Government’s Simpler Recycling guidance that requires all Waste Collection Authorities – which in Hampshire comprises district and borough councils, as well as the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton – to provide weekly kerbside food waste collections by April 2026 as part of a wider package of changes to deliver a more consistent and streamlined approach to recycling in England.
Taking steps to prevent food waste in the first place delivers greater environmental impacts than recycling. It is estimated, on average, a quarter of the waste put in household bins is food that could have been eaten. Residents can visit Hampshire County Council’s Smart Living and Kitchen Food Heroes webpages for practical tips and advice to help use more of the food they buy.
Further details of the decision can be found on the County Council’s website.