Simpler Recycling: which councils collect food waste weekly?
What 48 councils in England say about weekly food waste collection, in their own words.
Under the government's Simpler Recycling rules, councils in England were to collect food waste weekly from most homes by 31 March 2026, unless a transitional arrangement applies. Of the 48 councils in England BinBosh has checked, 16 say in their own guidance that they collect food waste weekly, 4 say only some homes have it, 15 say it is starting or being rolled out, and 4 describe a trial or pilot. For 9, the pages we checked do not say whether collection is weekly.
Find your council below. Each line is quoted from the council's own guidance, with the month we checked it.
What did the government set out?
In its 2024 policy update, the government said that by 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the core recyclable waste streams from all households in England. This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies
. It described food waste as something which will be collected from all households at least weekly
.
Its press release of 31 March 2026 said the rules come into force today (Tuesday 31 March 2026)
and that waste collectors must by default collect these separately from households:
- food and garden waste
- paper and card
- all other dry recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic, including cartons)
- residual waste (non-recyclable waste that is sent for energy recovery or to landfill)
Sources: Simpler Recycling in England: policy update (gov.uk, Crown copyright 2024) and Simpler household recycling rules come into force across England (gov.uk, 31 March 2026).
Is a council without weekly food collection breaking the rules?
Not necessarily. The 2024 policy update says: Where long-term waste disposal (mechanical biological treatment and energy from waste) contracts present a barrier to introducing separate food waste collections, a longer implementation period may be required.
The 2026 press release says the government is providing additional support, such as agreed transitional arrangements allowing a later implementation date.
We do not know which councils have such an arrangement, so this page makes no judgement about any council. It only shows what each council says.
Which councils say they collect food waste weekly?
16 councils. These councils' own guidance says food waste is collected every week.
Bexley, checked September 2026
“We collect food waste weekly as part of our standard service.”
Bolton, checked September 2026
“Food waste containers are collected once a week, and green bins are collected every two weeks.”
Bristol, checked September 2026
“This is the food waste bin you put out on your collection day every week.”
Bromley, checked September 2026
“Every week we will collect your food waste.”
Central Bedfordshire, checked September 2026
“Residents who receive a food waste collection are provided with:”
“Food waste is collected every week on your normal collection day.”
Coventry, checked September 2026
“Coventry City Council introduced a new weekly food waste recycling service for households across the city.”
“Food waste collections across Coventry started in September 2026.”
Derby, checked September 2026
“a weekly household food waste recycling collection service that started on 31 March 2026.”
Hounslow, checked September 2026
“We collect your large green food waste bin every week.”
Lambeth, checked September 2026
“it’s so important for everyone to use their food waste collection service, which will remain weekly.”
North Somerset, checked September 2026
“We collect food waste every week from houses and flats.”
Portsmouth, checked May 2026
“Food waste is collected every week on the same day as your rubbish, by a different crew.”
Reading, checked September 2026
“The food waste is collected weekly on the same day as your household waste and recycling bins.”
Sandwell, checked September 2026
“In Sandwell we collect food waste every week, recycling and non-recycling bins every other week”
Somerset, checked September 2026
“We will collect your recycling and food waste every week. This might be different for properties with communal (shared) collections.”
Southwark, checked September 2026
“We collect food waste every week for free from most flats and street-level properties.”
Tameside, checked September 2026
“Most households in Tameside receive a weekly collection for their brown bin (food and garden waste)”
Which councils say only some homes have it?
4 councils. These councils' guidance says food waste is collected weekly from some homes but not others.
Brent, checked September 2026
“In Brent, food waste is collected every week.”
“Food waste collections trial for flats above shops”
Camden, checked September 2026
“Many homes in Camden are eligible for our weekly food waste recycling service.”
“Food waste recycling has been introduced as a trial for some flats at Belsize Village, Camden Road and Malden Road.”
Lewisham, checked September 2026
“We'll collect your food waste weekly.”
“We're not currently collecting food waste from estate properties.”
Richmond upon Thames, checked September 2026
“When your caddy is full empty your caddy contents for collection into the larger food waste box/communal bin in block of flats (if provided).”
“households that do not receive weekly food waste collections, most of which do not have gardens”
Which councils say it is starting or being rolled out?
15 councils. These councils describe weekly food waste collection as starting, being phased in or delayed. Dates are the council's own and may have passed since we checked.
Brighton and Hove, checked September 2026
“Place in your household rubbish bin if food waste collections have not yet started in your area.”
Cambridge, checked September 2026
“Starting in 2026, all households in South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge will receive a new weekly food waste collection service.”
Cheshire East, checked September 2026
“Weekly food collections and 3 weekly black bin collections start in late Autumn 2026.”
County Durham, checked September 2026
“From Spring 2026, every house in the county will receive a weekly food waste collection alongside the existing refuse and recycling service.”
East Hampshire, checked September 2026
“Weekly food waste collections will be rolled out across the district during the week beginning 5 October 2026.”
Havering, checked September 2026
“The roll out of a separate weekly food waste service has been delayed due to a lack of vehicles from the manufactures to deliver this service.”
Islington, checked September 2026
“We’re rolling out food waste collections to residents living above shops, so everyone can recycle their food waste correctly.”
Liverpool, checked September 2026
“Free weekly food waste collections are now being phased in across Liverpool.”
Newham, checked September 2026
“This new service will be rolled out in three phases, and you will receive information when collections are due to begin in your area.”
“Your food waste bin will be collected weekly.”
North Tyneside, checked September 2026
“From late spring / early summer 2026, North Tyneside households will begin to benefit from a free weekly food waste collection.”
Northumberland, checked September 2026
“Weekly kerbside food waste collections will begin from autumn 2026, starting with around 90,000 households”
Plymouth, checked September 2026
“Your food waste will be collected every week, on the same weekday as your brown and green bin collections.”
“Before the service begins, households will be provided with two containers”
Redbridge, checked September 2026
“10,000 households across Redbridge are already benefiting from our food waste collections following its phased rollout last year, and from November and December this year all remaining houses will have the service too.”
South Cambridgeshire, checked September 2026
“Over the course of 2026 we will be introducing a new separate weekly food waste collection. You will receive a letter telling you when this will start for your street”
Tower Hamlets, checked September 2026
“We only collect food from street-level properties. Food waste collection will be rolled out across Tower Hamlets by April 2027.”
Which councils describe a trial or pilot only?
4 councils. These councils describe a food waste collection for some areas only, as a trial or pilot.
Birmingham, checked September 2026
“We are beginning a waste pilot in North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield.”
“For residents in those areas from June 2026, we are starting to introduce a food waste collection.”
Leeds, checked September 2026
“We are trialling a new combined garden and food waste collection service for a number of households in the Wetherby area during 2026.”
“all households can choose to recycle their food waste through a weekly collection by 2029/30”
Newcastle upon Tyne, checked September 2026
“We have introduced a food waste recycling service to around 5,000 households in the city. We will contact households within the trial area directly”
Nottingham, checked September 2026
“Nottingham is currently collecting food waste in Berridge in order to learn how best to implement food waste collections for the rest of the city by 2030.”
Which councils collect food waste but do not say how often?
6 councils. These councils describe a food waste container or collection, but the pages we checked do not say how often it is emptied.
Buckinghamshire, checked September 2026
“What you can put in your food waste caddy”
Greenwich, checked September 2026
“We provide a free kitchen caddy to help you separate your food waste.”
Manchester, checked September 2026
“Food waste should be put in compostable bags first”
Merton, checked September 2026
“How to use the food waste collection service”
Milton Keynes, checked September 2026
“A kitchen caddy is useful for collecting food waste to then transfer to the green bin outside.”
Rochdale, checked September 2026
“Brown bin: food, teabags and garden waste, including leaves, twigs and grass cuttings.”
Which councils do not describe a food waste collection on the pages we checked?
3 councils. The pages we checked for these councils do not describe a household food waste collection. That does not mean there is none: check the council's own website.
What else is changing for households?
The rules do not set how often your rubbish is collected. The 2024 policy update says: Waste collection authorities determine the appropriate approach to residual waste and dry recycling collections in their area.
It also says by 31 March 2027, kerbside plastic film collections from businesses and relevant non-domestic premises, and households will be introduced
. Where a council we checked says what else is changing, in its own words:
Cheshire East, checked September 2026
“Weekly food collections and 3 weekly black bin collections start in late Autumn 2026.”
Birmingham, checked September 2026
“This means there is a change to how often we collect your household waste and recycling.”
Redbridge, checked September 2026
“Cartons/Tetra Paks from 31 March 2026”
Redbridge, checked September 2026
“Clean tubes (e.g. face wash) from 31 March 2026”
Nottingham, checked September 2026
“By law, plastic bags and wrapping will need to be collected by every local authority by 31 March 2027”
Derby, checked September 2026
“This is a brand new household service that will not replace any existing bins or collections.”
What about Scotland?
The rules quoted above are for England: the policy update applies them to all households in England. These 3 councils are in Scotland, so they are outside those rules and not counted above. This is what their own guidance says:
City of Edinburgh (Scotland), checked September 2026
“Nearly every household in Edinburgh has access to a weekly food waste collection either at the kerbside or through the communal bin service.”
Glasgow (Scotland), checked September 2026
“The brown bin service is for the collection of garden waste and food waste.”
North Lanarkshire (Scotland), checked September 2026
“The food and garden waste collection service operates all year round, and the brown bin is collected on a fortnightly cycle.”
How was this list made?
Every line is quoted word for word from the council's published guidance as BinBosh captured it, with the month we checked it. A date in a council's wording, such as a start date, is what the council said then and may have passed since. We have not read every page each council publishes, so “not stated” means only that the pages we checked do not say. Each council's page on BinBosh links to its source.
These are the councils BinBosh has checked, not the whole country. If yours is not here, its own website is the place to look. For what goes in the food caddy, see what goes in your food waste caddy.
Know which bin goes out, and when
Enter your postcode to see your street's collection days and get a reminder the night before.
Frequently asked questions
What is Simpler Recycling?
It is the government's name for the household recycling rules in England. Its press release of 31 March 2026 says the rules came into force that day, and that waste collectors must by default collect food and garden waste, paper and card, all other dry recyclable materials (glass, metal and plastic, including cartons) and residual waste separately from households. Its 2024 policy update says this includes weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies.
When will my council start collecting food waste weekly?
It depends on your council. Of the 48 councils in England we have checked, 16 say they collect food waste weekly and 15 say it is starting or being rolled out, some with a date and some without. Find your council on this page for its own words, or check its website.
Does every council have to collect food waste weekly from 31 March 2026?
Not in every case. The government's 2024 policy update says weekly food waste collections for most homes by 31 March 2026, unless a transitional arrangement applies, and that a longer implementation period may be required where long-term waste disposal contracts are a barrier. Its 2026 press release mentions agreed transitional arrangements allowing a later implementation date. So a council without weekly food collection is not necessarily breaking the rules.
Will my rubbish bin be collected less often?
The rules leave that to your council: the government's 2024 policy update says waste collection authorities determine the approach to residual waste in their area. Some councils have changed it alongside food waste. For example, Cheshire East's guidance, checked in September 2026, says weekly food collections and 3 weekly black bin collections start in late Autumn 2026.
Will plastic film and bags be collected from my home?
The government's 2024 policy update says kerbside plastic film collections from households will be introduced by 31 March 2027. Until your council's own guidance says it takes film, keep it out of your recycling bin.
Written by Dan Dadovic, founder of BinBosh and a PhD candidate in Information Sciences at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of Zagreb.
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