Councils to receive over £88m for food waste collections

Councils in England will receive over £88 million to implement food waste collections as part of Simpler Recycling legislation.

The data provides a breakdown of both capital and revenue grants issued in the 2024/25 financial year, as well as capital grants issued in 2023/24.

Simpler Recycling legislation requires councils in England to provide the separate kerbside collection of household food waste from 31 March 2026.

Funding breakdown

Simpler Recycling

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 their councils have a transitional arrangement in place, giving them a later start date in legislation. 

These measures mean people in England will be able to recycle the same materials at home, work or school.

Kerbside plastic film collections from workplaces and households will also be introduced by 31 March 2027. 

Commenting on the announcement, the Local Government Association, said: “Councils want to recycle as much as they can and support the Government’s ambition for weekly food waste collections from April 2026.

“It is important that all councils have local flexibility on how this service is delivered, alongside adequate funding and support.

“In particular, councils need clarity on the level of revenue funding from 2026 so they can plan new services. We are also asking government to commit to reviewing service costs after a year, to help plug any costs gaps that have emerged.”