Exciting Changes Ahead: Food Waste Collections Coming to Newark and Sherwood in 2027

Thanks to funding from central government, the Council has secured over £1 million in capital grants to invest in eight new food waste collection vehicles and more than 55,000 food waste bins. These resources will ensure that every household is equipped and ready to take part in this important new service.

This week, the District Council’s Cabinet has approved the purchase of the food waste vehicles to ensure they arrive in a timely way so collection rounds can start, on time, in 2027.  In addition, procuring the vehicles now, the District Council is securing the best value for money, taking advantage of today’s prices.

“I know first-hand that lots of our residents want to recycle their household food waste,” said Councillor Simon Forde, Portfolio Holder for Climate and the Environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council. “By introducing weekly collections, we’re not only meeting national requirements—we’re also helping our residents make a real difference because food waste can then get recycled positively for the environment.”

The service is part of the government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ strategy, which aims to standardise waste and recycling collections across the UK. In commencing the work now, the District Council will ensure a smooth and successful rollout of its food waste collection service.

In addition to the vehicles, the District Council will also recruit 18 new team members to support the service and ensure it runs efficiently from day one.

“I’m delighted that we will be creating more jobs locally through the introduction of our food waste collection service which is about making recycling easier and more effective for everyone,” added Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council. “We’re proud to be investing in a service that will benefit our communities and our environment for many years to come. Alongside collecting food waste from residential homes, we will also be collecting from all schools and businesses too, so we will be making a huge difference, supporting the bigger national picture of reducing food waste.”

9.5 million tonnes of food waste was generated in the UK in 2018.  This is equivalent to 143 kg per person or around 180 large loaves of bread per person per year! Household food waste accounts for 70% of the UK’s total food waste, so tapping into this now is vital for national sustainability goals. *

Councillor Peacock concludes, “While reducing food waste in the first instance is always the preferred option by carefully planned shopping and using up leftovers, it would be irresponsible to think that this alone would solve the problem. We know that making recycling as simple as possible is key to ensure its long-term success. We are currently looking at the very best way to operate this service to make it cost effective, simple and deliverable in the long term. I’m excited to see this new service come in the district in 2027 and I am certain that it will be as popular as our kerbside glass recycling service and will take us another step towards to recycling more and achieving carbon net zero.”

*(Office for National Statistics).