Agenda item

Purpose of report

An update on the progress of the mandatory weekly kerbside food waste collection service rollout. The report asked Cabinet to recommend to Council an additional revenue budget allocation for service provision within the current financial year. The report also asked Cabinet to recommend to Council acceptance of the additional £953,377.03 Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) payment for the financial year 2025/26.

Decision

That Cabinet recommend to Council:

1.    The formation of a revenue budget of £542,195 for the 2025/26 financial year to facilitate the rollout of the weekly food waste collection service.

2.    The use of £400,125.45 from the allocated revenue transitional funding and an additional £142,069.55 from the Waste Service Reserve to create the revenue budget.

3.    An increase to the vehicle replacement capital budget of £171,850 from the Waste Service Reserve to contribute towards funding the food waste collection vehicles and caddies.

4.    Acceptance of the additional pEPR payment of £935,377.03 for the financial year 2025/26 and to allocate this funding to the established Waste Services Reserve.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Do nothing until the ongoing revenue funding is released by DEFRA – this option was not feasible as it would have resulted in missing the mandated rollout deadline by a significant amount of time.

Do not introduce the weekly food waste collection service – this option was not feasible as the change had been mandated through the Environment Act 2021.

Reasons for the decision

These recommendations enabled the Council to meet the requirements to provide a weekly food waste collection service to the residents of South Kesteven within the mandated timescale. It would ensure the Council did not face penalties from DEFRA or reputational damage for non-delivery of the service.

Members of the public would receive more information on the mandated service as part of a rolling programme of communications. Full Council would consider these recommendations at their meeting on 18 September 2025, and if carried, Environment OSC would further scrutinise the policy as the Council worked towards implementing mandatory food waste collection.

The following points were highlighted during debate:

·         Weekly food waste collections were mandated by DEFRA and the Council could not opt in or out.

·         The Council was not using ratepayer funds for this service.

·         As South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) did not currently offer food waste collections (although had run a trial in previous years), there was a proportion of ‘new burden’ funding allocated to the Council by the government.

·         In reality, the government calculation of the cost of the service to SKDC was not adequate. In 2026/2027 there may not be enough funding for the deployment of the food waste collection service; however the government have assured SKDC that spending would be replace through the ‘funding formula’.

·         The level of ongoing funding from the government was not yet known. SKDC would have to keep delivering the service whether or not the budget sent from government was ample of sufficient. This information was requested in good time from government to allow for SKDC to financially plan for the service.

·         SKDC were purchasing twelve vehicles rather than nine. In calculating what resources SKDC would require, DEFRA had used an incorrect number of households for the district. The correct number was ten vehicles; the additional two vehicles were spares that could be used when others were being maintained or repaired.

·         The Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste and officers were confident of recruiting the 30-35 operatives required for the service. Recruitment was likely to start in November 2025, for a service that commenced in April 2026.