We are preparing for weekly food waste collections and the effect this will have on residents’ general rubbish collections.

In 2023, the government announced that councils must introduce a weekly food waste kerbside collection service for all households as part of its Simpler Recycling scheme, which aims to create consistency in the way recycling, food waste and garden waste is collected across the country.

Most of the food that is thrown away in the UK is avoidable. 70 per cent could have been eaten at some point before being thrown away. Of that, 41 per cent is just not used in time and 25 per cent is binned because too much has been cooked. In Crawley, around 44.2 per cent of what is put in the average general waste bin is food waste and just 38.2 per cent is general waste, so the roll out of these new collections will see the amount of general rubbish fall.

Saving food from going to waste is not only good for the environment but can also save you money. On average this equates to around £20 per person, per month. That is £80 a month for a family of four.

For tips on how to reduce your food waste, visit the fight against food waste page on the WSCC website.

By removing food waste from general waste bins, we will significantly reduce the amount of general waste we send for Energy from Waste (EfW) treatment. When collected separately, food waste can be treated via anaerobic digestion instead. This is a much more efficient and environmentally friendly way of processing it. Anaerobic digestion provides higher value end products in the form of biogas and fertiliser.

More information will be released in Spring 2026.