Agenda item

The Food Waste Update was presented by the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste.

Following reforms to the Environment Act 2021, new recycling requirements were to be introduced from 31^st March 2026.

The new default requirements included four containers for:

1. Residual (non-recyclable) waste,

2. Food waste,

3. Paper and card,

4. All other dry recyclable materials (plastic, metal and glass).

It was confirmed that SKDC would introduce the service from Monday 13th April 2026, a date selected as part of a staggered rollout across Lincolnshire to ensures disposal facilities were not overwhelmed. The Lincolnshire Waste Partnership (LWP) wrote to DEFRA in September 2025 to confirm this arrangement.

The capital purchases were split into two forms – vehicles and caddies. The Council received £ 1,371,150 in capital funding from central Government to establish the food waste collections. The total cost of capital purchases (vehicles + caddies) was £1,543,000; this was around £171,850 more than the £1,371,150 payment from DEFRA. The shortfall was covered by an agreement at Full Council on 18 September 2025.

The total estimated revenue costs were £542,195 for year 1 (2025/26). Although the service didn’t start until April 2026, there were costs associated with introducing the service (vehicle costs, staff recruitment, communications, caddy delivery etc). The transitional revenue funding provided by Government covered £400,125.45 of these costs, meaning a further £142,069.55 of funding was required to establish the service. The shortfall was covered by an agreement at Full Council on 18 September 2025.

During discussions, Members commented on the following:

-       The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste apologized that Full Council had sight of the report prior to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

-       Attention was drawn to the additional staff revenue costs in Table 1 of the report. The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste confirmed the majority of these costs were funded by a ringfenced grant.

-       It was queried whether it was necessary for the additional staff to be recruited in November 2025 if the ‘go live’ date was not until April 2026. The Cabinet Member confirmed this was necessary to ensure full training and preparations.

-       The costs in Table 1 of the report were calculated on a pro-rata basis.

-       It was queried whether new staff were limited to food waste rounds. It was confirmed that this would depend if the individuals had a HGV licence which was not necessarily required for the 7.5 ton lorries used for the food waste collection.

-       The suggestion was made for education of residents to prevent unnecessary food waste. It was suggested collaboration with supermarkets would be vital for this. The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste confirmed SKDC had been engaging with a third-party company called ‘WRAP’ which had been lobbying central government and offering resources on this matter.

Councillor Selby entered the Chamber.

-       The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste sought to address anxiety about the cleanliness of food waste bins by highlighting that the incoming measures would result in food waste being collected twice as often compared to the current general waste. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the 23litre caddy was complete with a self-locking lid, in which normal liners could not only be used, but were preferable to the so-called biodegradable liners that would not biodegrade in the conditions met at the plant. The Cabinet Member agreed to raise the matter with the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership in order to promote instructions on how to clean the bins.

The Food Waste update was noted by the Committee.