Food waste collections are coming to Brighton & Hove

Next month sees the start of free weekly food waste collections in Brighton & Hove,  with the first phase starting in the east of the city from 15 September.

Residents in Saltdean, Rottingdean, Ovingdean, Woodingean and Brighton Marina will receive a starter pack which includes a kitchen caddy, compostable caddy liners, and either an outdoor caddy (or access to a shared food waste bin for some blocks of flats).

Households will also receive a postcard with details of their start date and collection day. Collection days for refuse and recycling collections will not change.

Residents in these areas will be able to start putting both cooked and uncooked food in their caddies a week before their first collection date instead of their waste bins.

Turning food waste into compost

Food waste accounts for more than a third of the waste found in household bins – that’s more than 21,000 tonnes going to waste every year.

We’ll be turning the food waste into compost, so it can be used to nourish the soil and grow more food.

Encouraging residents to recycle food waste will also save money on waste disposal for council taxpayers, as it keeps food waste out of the household waste stream.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “I’m excited that food waste collections are being introduced in the city. This is part of the council’s commitment to help residents recycle more, reduce waste and protect the environment.

“Food waste contributes a significant amount to the waste we throw away. From 15 September, residents from Saltdean to Brighton Marina will be able to put out food waste for collection so it can be turned into compost and fed back into the soil.”

Rolling out food waste collections

This is the biggest change to recycling collections in decades, so the council is bringing in the new service in 4 phases.

Each phase of the rollout will inform the next, so the dates may be subject to change, but the indicative timeline is:

• From 15 September 2025 – 11,000 households in the east of city: Saltdean, Rottingdean, Ovingdean, Woodingean and Brighton Marina
• October 2025 – 29,500 households in the north of city: Coldean, Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Patcham, Hollingdean, Hollingbury, Withdean and Preston Park
• November 2025 – 31,500 households in the west of city: Westdene, Hangleton, West Hove, Aldrington, Portslade, Mile Oak and Hangleton
• By March 2026 – 76,000 households in central and communal areas: Queens Park, Hanover, Kemptown, Whitehawk, Central Brighton, Seven Dials, Roundhill and central Hove.

By next April, food waste collections will cover 148,000 households, including flats and communal spaces.

More information about food waste collections.

Brighton & Hove’s new food waste collections service has been supported by a grant from the UK Government.