North East councils have clarified their roll outs of food waste collections as over a quarter of English local authorities confirm they will fail to meet an original government deadline, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Austen Shakespeare.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that 79 council in England were going to miss the deadline to introduce weekly food waste collections to all homes by March. According to a BBC investigation, this included Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, and Durham councils.
Now all seven regional councils have explained their positions and where they are in terms of starting or continuing their food waste collection, with many offering a phased start. Gateshead, South Tyneside, and Sunderland City councils already had an extended deadline due to existing contracts.
North Tyneside:
North Tyneside will begin a gradual phasing in of food waste collection with the first rounds due to start in late spring or early summer.
A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “We are introducing food waste collections through a phased roll-out rather than all at once. This reflects national requirements and the need to bring in new vehicles, crews, containers and processing capacity, ensuring the service is delivered safely, efficiently and within available funding.”
Northumberland:
A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said: “We were one of the first County Councils to carry out a food waste pilot and the trial of over 5000 homes has proved very popular. We will be rolling out this service to around 90,000 homes from this summer and, if we receive the funding necessary, then we will extend it to even more homes across the county.”
Durham:
Durham County Council explained the roll-out is “not a simple process” with around 250,000 homes to consider alongside “inevitable” challenges in supply chains for vehicles and caddies.
James Gilchrist, Durham County Council’s head of environment, said: “We are currently issuing leaflets to residents to explain the new food waste collection service ahead of its roll-out in spring and summer. Ahead of collections beginning, residents will receive a caddy to be kept outside, and one for the kitchen. Residents can find out more on our website at www.durham.gov.uk/foodwasteresidents.
Mr Gilchrist concluded: “We have experienced some of these challenges, but we have an agreed plan with our supply chain and we look forward to delivering this service.”
Newcastle:
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We introduced separate food waste collections to just over 5,200 households in September 2024 and increased this by another 500 households in January this year.
“Newcastle’s full roll out date is dependent on securing the necessary vehicles, bins, and staff, with vehicles having the longest lead times. These are currently in procurement. We do not yet have a confirmed delivery date for the vehicles. Based on current timeliness, we expect to begin the full service later in 2026.”
Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland:
These councils have an extended deadline until 2039 due to a joint waste management contract which can deal with food waste.
A spokesperson for the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, said: “This is due to each authority already having a long-term arrangement in place for the processing of household waste, including food waste, that complies with the government’s objective of diverting biodegradable waste away from landfill. All household waste we collect is sent to an Energy from Waste facility where it is used to create electricity, and recyclable materials are collected separately and recycled.
“Maintaining our current arrangements also has additional benefits. We avoid the environmental impact of introducing an additional weekly collection. We also potentially save money as there’s no immediate need to buy new bin lorries.
“In the meantime, we will continue to promote the principles of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ through our resident engagement to help minimise the amount of waste created.”
Austen Shakespeare
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
