Cabinet to consider measures to support food waste participation

Rutland County Council’s Cabinet is to consider measures to support participation in a new food waste service at a meeting to be held on Tuesday 10 June.

Cabinet will be asked to approve the continuation of fortnightly residual waste collections with a smaller 140-litre black bin, to encourage participation in the food waste service and financing and procurement of the new bins. The move is designed to increase recycling rates, reduce service costs and encourage residents to embrace the new food waste collections.

If agreed, the roll out of the smaller 140-litre residual waste bins will coincide with the implementation of the new food waste service in March 2026.

When Cabinet considered the introduction of food waste collection last year, details of available funding and statutory requirements on collection frequency were unknown. This meant that while a smaller bin collected fortnightly was a preferred option, it was not certain whether this approach would be affordable within budget.

A new recycling contract for dry mixed recycling and the investment in new waste vehicles in 2024 have improved our recycling performance. Together with improved waste transfer operations and the outstanding response by residents to our renewed waste minimisation campaign, the amount of residual waste has reduced so the Council is now confident it can introduce these changes within existing financial plans.

The most recent composition analysis shows that over 40% of the waste in black bins is food waste. By introducing a dedicated food waste bin, the enhanced recycling service offered will enable households to divert this material from black bins, so residents can be assured that the remaining residual waste can fit into the smaller 140-litre black bin.

A decision will be made in a forthcoming Cabinet meeting, informed by the latest financial modelling, operational considerations, and resident feedback. The full Cabinet report will be available from Tuesday 3 June here - under the Tuesday 10 June Cabinet meeting link.