A new county-wide framework for disposing of food waste is being proposed by Staffordshire County Council, with plans to both cut costs and meet national recycling rules due to take centre stage at the council’s Cabinet meeting on 18th June.
The proposal follows the introduction of the Simpler Recycling Regulations 2025, which require all local authorities in England to collect food waste from households on a weekly basis. Staffordshire’s response is to consolidate its food waste disposal efforts into a single contract covering the entire county.
Currently, food waste collection across Staffordshire varies by district. Some areas include food waste with garden collections, while others send it with general waste. Only Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council runs a separate weekly collection. The lack of consistency is something the County Council says the new approach will address.
Under the proposed strategy, a unified contract would replace multiple existing arrangements. By doing so, the council expects to reduce administration costs and streamline the management of food waste services.
County Councillor Andrew Mynors, Cabinet Member for Connectivity, said:
“This framework for food waste disposal will develop one contract to cover the whole of Staffordshire. This means we can comply with national regulations, and also save money in the long-run on administration and contract management costs. It also means a unified approach to food waste collection across the county, ending the different systems we currently see.
“We can also encourage our communities to change their behaviour when it comes to waste, and reduce the amount going to energy recovery by around 20,000 tonnes.”
The council believes that simplifying how food waste is managed across districts will also make it easier for residents to engage with recycling. A consistent system is expected to reduce confusion and support the wider environmental goal of keeping biodegradable waste out of energy recovery and landfill.
If approved at the June Cabinet meeting, the framework would support all borough and district councils in preparing for the national rollout of mandatory food waste collections in 2026, while ensuring Staffordshire is ahead of the curve in meeting the new legal requirements.
Key points:
- One unified contract proposed to cover all of Staffordshire
- Aims to comply with Simpler Recycling Regulations 2025
- Could reduce waste sent to energy recovery by 20,000 tonnes
- Expected to save money on contract administration
- Will help prepare all councils for weekly food waste collection by 2026
