Changes to your bin collections
Test Valley Borough Council is committed to the delivery of waste service changes as required by the Environment Act 2021.
In June 2022, the Council agreed plans to introduce weekly food waste collections from 2024, as well as the introduction of 1,2,3 Weekly, a new ‘twin stream’ 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, the Council began to plan for its 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 of our Hampshire partners, including the County Council, to agree a waste collection and disposal system that meets the legislative requirements and the needs of our residents. We understand this situation has been frustrating for many. We are hopeful that the county-wide decision on an approved waste collection and disposal system will be made shortly and we can get working on introducing our Simpler Recycling collections for our residents.
In the meantime, in a positive step towards transforming our recycling services, we will introduce our weekly food waste collection service this year. Collections will start for all residents, boroughwide, from 13 October 2025 - five months ahead of the required date. Every household will be given a small kitchen caddy to help with the collection of food waste and scraps in the home. A new fleet of specialist collection vehicles will collect the food waste from larger kerbside caddies and residents who live in flats or other accommodation with shared bins will be provided with communal food waste bins. All of the collected food waste will be processed at an anaerobic digestion facility where it will be broken down by micro-organisms in the absence of 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.
More information about how the service will work will be shared nearer the time.
FAQs
We have put together this section to provide further information on the changes. We will continue to update this section based on your feedback and questions as the project develops.
Why are you changing the waste collections?
We want to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle, which in turn will help tackle climate change. It’s a major ambition in our Corporate Plan and something we’ve been keen to do for some time now. The new Environment Act is key too. The Government is standardising recycling collections across the country, ensuring everyone can recycle the same materials at the kerbside regardless of where they live. The Government has also set challenging recycling rate targets which we hope to exceed.
Why do we have to wait?
Unfortunately, since our decision to introduce 1,2,3 Weekly, 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. Once again, we need to work with all of our Hampshire partners, including the County Council, to agree a waste collection and disposal system that meets the legislative requirements and the needs of our residents. Hampshire County Council then has to build its new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which will have improved facilities to recycle a far greater range of materials. We anticipate that the new MRF will be operational in autumn 2027. In the meantime, food waste collections are commencing on 13 October 2025, and we are busy ordering the vehicles and caddies, planning the collection routes, and recruiting staff.
How will the changes affect me?
Ultimately, we will be collecting more materials at the kerbside. Food waste collections will start this year, and you will be sent more information about this nearer the time. You’ll be provided with two food waste caddies – a smaller one for the kitchen and a larger one for the collection day. The caddy can contain all kinds of food waste including kitchen scraps, leftovers, food that has gone mouldy, fruit and vegetable peelings etc. Your caddy will be emptied weekly. For those who share their wheeled bins e.g. flats with a bin store, a communal food waste bin will be provided. For the moment, we are unable to confirm how the other recyclable items (plastic pots, tubs and trays, cartons, glass bottles and jars and aluminium foil) will be collected. Garden waste collection days will remain unchanged for those who subscribe.
I don’t have room for any additional bins, what can I do?
We will be working with residents and providing support. We will help those who have specific issues or concerns, such as space at home.
Do I have to have my food waste collected?
We know that some of our residents already have alternative and often very sustainable methods in place for dealing with their food waste. Although it is mandatory that the Council provides this collection service, it is not mandatory for residents to participate. However, food waste should not be put into any black household waste bins, once the new service has launched in the autumn.
Will I have to pay for my new food waste bins? When will they be delivered?
As part of the introduction of our new collection service, the new food waste caddies will be delivered free of charge, in readiness for when the new collection system starts.
I live in a flat and share bins, how will it work?
We understand that there can be difficulties with shared or communal bins so we will be working with each managing agent/landlord etc. to agree the best solution for each one. We will also be working with residents to support them through the change to the new collection services. Our aim is to provide our new services to as many residents as possible.
Won’t the bins/caddies attract pests or be smelly?
Food waste will be collected weekly, from lockable caddies, which limits the likelihood of pests or odours. Food waste collections have been provided for many years by councils across the country, and we are learning from their experiences, as we design our service. If you are concerned about any other waste-related odours, items such as pet waste, nappies or hygiene products can be double bagged and tightly tied before popping into your black bin. Always keep your black bin lid closed too.
Why aren’t you collecting other materials at the kerbside too?
We are looking to collect as many materials at the kerbside as possible. We will update these pages when we can confirm we can collect new, additional materials.
Will these changes lead to fly tipping?
Items most commonly fly tipped are bulky items or trade waste, neither of which are collected as part of our collection service. It is not anticipated that fly tipping will increase, and this is not the experience of other local authorities who already operate similar collection services.
Will these changes lead to my Local Recycling Centre closing?
We currently have a network of over 100 local recycling centres (LRCs). We will continue to operate these as we introduce the new collection services, and we will monitor their use. No decision has yet been taken on the future of our LRC network.
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