We are all familiar with recycling paper, cardboard and plastic waste as part of the waste collection and management provided by our local authorities within the United Kingdom.
This article looks at the roll-out of a new type of recycling; food waste recycling, which is sweeping across the country in 2026 and beyond & why it is happening now and what it means for you as a householder or business.
Why food recycling now?
The UK Government and devolved administrations wants to make recycling easier for everyone. Indeed, over the past decades, recycling has, often, been a patch-work of different rules and services determined where you live in the country.
A new policy called Simpler Recycling for Households was introduced in late 2024. Under the new rules, every local authority must collect the same materials for recycling.
Additionally, new legislation – The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025 has made food recycling a requirement for businesses for all but the smallest micro-firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees.
Why is food recycling important?
Food waste is a significant contributor to climate change, with approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food wasted in the UK each year (Food Waste – 2025 Facts & Statistics).
Currently, food waste is disposed into landfill sites, which when it decomposes releases methane, a greenhouse gas.
By diverting food waste to composting or anaerobic digestion, we can:
- Reduce harmful emissions
- Produce nutrient-rich compost for agriculture
- Generate renewable energy from biogas
- Support the UK’s Net Zero goals
Stop food waste at source
Before we look at the practicalities of food recycling, let’s not forget that it is better to use our food for its intended purpose of making nutritious meals for ourselves, family and friends. So try to be efficient with the food that you buy:
- Be a smart shopper, by planning meals, making a shopping list and only buying enough food for your needs
- Keep the food in the correct and safe storage
- Batch cook and freeze the rest.
- Before throwing food out, consider whether it can be frozen to be used another day
- Think about how any leftovers can be used to form the basis of another meal, such as soups, sauces or sandwiches
Practical Food Recycling
So, what are the practicalities of food recycling?
Some two weeks before the food was recycling started in my area; our household was provided with two storage containers and some compostable bags.
The grey caddy is for use in our kitchen to act as a local storage container for all of the food waste produced on a daily basis.
The list of acceptable food waste is quite extensive and covers most of our needs including pet food as our elderly cat is leaving a lot of food on her plate after each feed despite trying to ensure that we only leave sufficient for her needs.
The roll of compostable caddy liner bags are supplied. They can be used to contain the waste food and any liquids. It is advisable to add some newspaper, or even handy Amazon packing material, to line the bottom of the caddy to soak-up any residual liquids.
Once the caddy is full, the food waste can be transferred to the larger grey and orange outdoor bin. Again, it is good to line the bottom of this container with paper.
Then once a week, a Thursday for my area, we can put the larger grey and orange outdoor bin outside our home for collection on or after 6 am.
After using this system for a few weeks, it is likely that we may place our waste food directly in the larger outdoor container to avoid double-handling the food waste & even dispense with the use of the compostable bags as they rarely live up to their composability and are an additional cost.
After leaving my larger container outside my home, Chichester District Council will collect our food waste and the arrangement for its recycling has been made by West Sussex Country Council, which will involve recycling at an anaerobic digestion plant in Horsham, also, in West Sussex. This plant will recycle the waste into fertiliser to help farmers grow crops and energy to power the plant, with excess energy sent to the national grid to power homes and businesses.
Food recycling in your area may vary based on the roll-out by your local authorities but it is anticipated that food recycling will become the norm across the country.
If you have any questions about food waste recycling, please leave a comment in the box below.
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