New weekly food waste collection service to be launched by council

Arun District Council has revealed the plans

Author: Thomas Hanway, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 25th Mar 2024

Around £3 million for new waste collection services has been given the go-ahead by Arun District Council.

The council’s environment committee agreed to offer a new weekly food waste collection service by February 2026.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will grant the council £1.67 million for new vehicles and food waste bins, whilst £1.2 million will be secured through borrowing to fund new 180 litre residual waste bins, according to a report to the committee.

According to the report, day-to-day costs to the council of the new service are expected to be £1.25 million, with DEFRA expected to fund any extra costs of the service.

The new food waste service will include a five litre bin inside, and a 23 litre bin outside to be collected weekly, following the 1-2-3 trial food waste collection in Littlehampton which started in 2021.

The report says the new residual waste bins, used for non-recyclable waste, will be collected fortnightly instead of weekly, and is hoped to ‘standardise’ rubbish collection in Arun.

Through changes to the Environment Act 2021 by national government, councils responsible for waste collection will need to introduce food waste collection services by April 2026.

New kerbside coffee pod, textiles and battery collection services will also be introduced by February by the council.

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