Recycling our food waste can reduce landfill, cut emissions of greenhouse gases and produce green energy – but a quarter of councils in England won’t be ready to launch collections by the Government-imposed deadline this spring, according to a recent BBC investigation.
The Simpler Recycling policy announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in March 2025 mandated the collection by all English councils of separate food waste, as well as garden waste and other dry recyclable materials (paper, board, glass, metal and plastic).
The deadline for launching these collections is 31 March 2026 – but a BBC investigation found that 79 councils would not meet that date. Though DEFRA provided funding totalling over £340 million to launch food-waste collection schemes, some councils cited concerns about ongoing costs and limited availability of specialist collections vehicles as causes for delaying the introduction.
Food waste is commonly treated using a process known as anaerobic digestion. It’s placed in an airtight container, together with microorganisms called methanogens that break down organic material to release methane. This gas is then collected and used to generate green energy.
According to some sources, one caddyful of food waste could generate enough electricity to power a home for almost an hour. The process also yields fertiliser for farming and reduces the carbon emissions that would otherwise be released if the food were simply added to landfill.
As a helpful side-effect, collecting leftovers for recycling tends to make us think about and cut down on the food we waste at home – again, helping reduce landfill and greenhouse-gas emissions from excess food production.
Of the 317 local authorities in England, around half already collect food waste, with over half a million tonnes sent for recycling in 2023.
And though 79 councils told the BBC that they would miss the March deadline, over two-thirds of those aim to launch collections by the end of 2026. Some have also reached agreements with the Government for a delayed start, but at least 12 are yet to confirm a date.
Top image: A close-up of a person dumping a container of organic kitchen waste—filled with vegetable peels and scraps—into a compost bin outdoors. Credit: Getty Images
Related content:
- Introduce a 5p plastic drinking straw tax, says firm
- Environment Bill: what's in it and what does it mean for the countryside?
- “The water isn’t even fit for dogs to swim in sometimes.” John Craven on the UK’s water pollution problem – and what’s being done to tackle it
- Trashing Eden: How our countryside became a dumping ground
