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Test Valley takes a step closer to introducing food waste collections this year
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) is one step closer to bringing in kerbside food waste collections for households across the borough later this year.
On Wednesday 15 January, the council’s cabinet recommended launching food waste collections on 13 October 2025.
Following the government’s changes to the Environment Act 2021, all councils will need to have food waste collections in place by 1 April 2026.
But TVBC is pushing to introduce the collections five months early, in a positive step towards transforming recycling in the area.
The new weekly service will see kerbside food waste caddies collected from households across the borough, by a new fleet of specialist collection vehicles.
Residents who live in flats or other accommodation with shared bins will also be provided with communal food waste bins. And every household will be given a smaller kitchen caddy to help with the collection of food waste and scraps in the home.
Once collected, the food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digestion facility where microorganisms break it down in a tank without oxygen. The methane-rich biogas generated during this process can be used as a fuel and the remaining product can be used as a nutrient-rich fertiliser.
The government has confirmed that the ongoing service costs will be covered by New Burdens funding, but it will only be available from 1 April 2026. Rolling out the service earlier than the mandated date would cost the council in the region of £390,000, therefore the final decision to cover these costs will be made by full council on 29 January 2025.
Environmental portfolio holder, councillor David Drew, said: “The council is committed to the delivery of waste service changes as required by the Environment Act. Many residents will remember that in June 2022, we agreed plans to introduce weekly food waste collections from 2024, as well as the introduction of ‘1,2,3 Weekly’, a new waste and recycling collection system. This would allow residents to recycle more at the kerbside, including a wider variety of plastics including pots, tubs and trays, cartons, aluminium foil and glass bottles and jars.
“Having made this decision in 2022, we began to plan for our service changes, with funding for vehicles, bins and caddies approved in April 2023. However, in October 2023, and then again in November 2024, the government made significant policy announcements, including the introduction of ‘Simpler Recycling’. These national policy announcements were unexpected, conflicting in policy direction, and ultimately impacted our ability to continue with our approved plans. The latest requirements for Simpler Recycling mean that, once again, we need to work with all our Hampshire partners, including the county council, to agree a waste collection and disposal system that meets the requirements and the needs of our residents. In the meantime, subject to the agreement of full council, we hope to be able to proceed with introducing our food waste collection service which we know will be eagerly anticipated by residents across the borough.”