Havering Council is looking ahead to roll out a separate food waste service as part of its weekly collections.
The Government has made separate food waste collections a requirement by law when it passed the Environment Act 2019.
This is for all councils to have them in place by March 2026. It is giving limited funding to councils to help them introduce or develop the service.
At the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday (22 January 2025) cabinet members agreed on introducing the service.
Also for progressing the purchasing of food caddies and containers for residents to use, with the service expected to start from later this year.
Havering is planning to roll out this service from October 2025 and late last year (2024) carried out a survey, to get residents’ views on how best they can be supported.
The introduction of a borough-wide separate food waste collection service will support the goal within Havering’s Climate Change Action Plan 2024-2027.
This includes in helping to reduce waste across the borough and increase recycling as well as helping save money for residents through producing less waste.
The average household wastes around £470 per year on throwing food away, that could be used again.
Food waste being collected separately, instead of in the general black waste bags, can instead be recycled into fertiliser and biogas for generating energy.
It is also one way to help reduce our carbon footprint and further reduce reliance on landfill.
Types of food waste that will be collected separately include:
- food scraps including eggshells
- cooked or raw meat and fish, including bones
- bread, rice and pasta
- teabags and coffee grounds
- fruit and vegetables
More information on the service will be available over the coming months in the Living in Havering e-newsletter and via letters and leaflets to households and on the Council’s social media channels.
The Council’s Waste and Recycling Team will also host further engagement sessions across the borough.
This will be to address any concerns and questions around the service and relay information on outdoor and indoor caddies plus containers and liners.
Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“The introduction of a separate food waste collection is something we have to do by law.
"We’re receiving limited funding from the Government to run the service, but we’re disappointed that it doesn’t cover the full costs and we’ll be lobbying to fix this.
“Collecting our food waste separately will help move us further as a borough, to reduce the amount of waste we create and get rid of it in a greener and cleaner way.
“The aim of the service is to support residents, including our school children, to learn and play their role in helping to make Havering a more sustainable borough.
“Separate food waste collections will mean that scraps and left-over food can be put towards generating something useful such as electricity.
“It is vital we all do what we can to reduce the impact we have on the environment around us.”