More areas of the city are now getting food waste collections as the roll out continues.
Households in Aldrington, Hangleton, Mile Oak, Portslade, and West Hove began getting the collections yesterday, bringing the total number across the city to 73,000.
Residents in these areas should have been sent starter packs and can look up their new food waste collection day on the website.
After collection, the food waste is turned into compost and soil improver to help grow more food.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “I’m delighted to see phase 3 of food waste collections starting, giving residents in the west of the city the opportunity to easily recycle food waste which currently makes up more than a third of the waste found in household bins.
“The take-up of the scheme so far has been amazing, exceeding all expectations, and I want to thank residents in the east and north of the city for taking part – together they have helped divert 21 fully-laden refuse trucks from waste to be recycled and re-used as soil improver to grow more food.
“We’re already preparing for the fourth, final and biggest phase of food waste collections. These will cover the central areas of Brighton and Hove and complete food waste collections for the whole of the city by March 2026.”
From 8 December, residents in the west of the city can put all cooked and uncooked food waste in their caddies, instead of the waste bin. This includes unpackaged bread, pasta and rice, fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and bones, dairy, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Starter packs to households include compostable liners – if lining caddies, only these or newspaper must be used, rather than plastic bags as plastic cannot be composted.
The advice is to leave out caddies on the edge of properties where crews can easily see them. Place the handle upright to keep the lid secure. Some blocks of flats will have access to a shared food waste bin instead of individual outdoor caddies.
Food waste should be put out for collection either the night before or by 5am on collection day. Crews will be out collecting between 5am and 10pm.
The council is spending £1.2 million on the new food waste collection service. The rollout will finish in March 2026.
The final phase will cover 76,000 households in the central and communal on-street bin areas of Queen’s Park, Hanover, Kemptown, Whitehawk, Central Brighton, Seven Dials, Roundhill and Central Hove.
Great idea we have received our starter pack but where do we get more compost able bags when we run out
Was part of the first wave. They give you enough to last once a week for an entire year, after that, they are sold in supermarkets, about £5 for two years worth, if using one a week.
The food waste collections are being introduced due to new national laws in England and Wales (passed under the last government in 2021 and not the current Labour one). Every council in the country needs to start food waste collections by the end of March 2026 at the latest or else they will be failing to meet their new legal duties.
The Labour councillors always forget to mention that they are introducing it because they now legally have to do it and are being forced, and also fail to mention the £2.4 million new burdens funding they have been given by the government to start collections. It’s not something special the council are doing to introduce the collections to the WHOLE city by March, they legally HAVE to do it.
The council is also spending far more that The £1.2 million on the new service. The £1.2 million is ONLY the amount the council say they are spending to start the service “sooner” than the legal deadline.
Whether or not people like the idea of a food waste service (I do like it), the way councillors keep spinning it like they are doing something special is crazy. Brighton is actually way behind many councils elsewhere who have been collecting food waste for years. The new national laws coming in are basically forcing all those who don’t do it already to catch up. It’s a shame Labour councillors voted against a food waste collection service back in 2012.
Wot about Newhaven then
Wot about lewes district council too then
Why not ask Lewes District Council?
Why do we have this service all over the country right now then
Well I hope the lids are secure or else the foxes and seagulls are going to think it’s Christmas everyday!
Looking forward to the seeing the pavements strewn with last night’s leftovers if our communal waste bins are anything to go by.