However, a combination of contractual, financial and logistical barriers means a minority have gained an extension past the set deadline.
As of yesterday (31 March 2026), households will now have access to separate collections for food waste, paper and card, all other dry recyclable materials and residual waste.
Simpler Recycling first applied to businesses of over 10 employees from March 2025.
Are councils ready for Simpler Recycling?
Around three-quarters of councils were ready to begin food waste collections from 31 March, building on an existing baseline where roughly 52% of local authorities already offered some form of food waste service.
Industry investment has been substantial. Following confirmation of requirements in November 2024, operators had just four months to scale up services for businesses, placing pressure on supply chains.
According to the Environmental Services Association (ESA), by autumn 2025, the sector had largely caught up, with:
- £30 million invested by major operators
- Over 100 new collection vehicles deployed
- More than 200,000 containers rolled out
There are also positive early signs on performance, with some operators are already forecasting up to 70% year-on-year increases in collected food waste tonnages from businesses.
Jenny Grant, Head of Organics and Natural Capital at the REA (Renewable Energy Association), commented: “Whilst delays to the roll out of collections are frustrating, they are inevitable with the scale of change and procurement involved.
“The uncertainty of timings makes it tricky for the organics recycling sector, but the sector has been preparing for the increased tonnages of food waste by increasing capacity and in most areas are well placed to deal with the additional tonnage.”
The 14%: who isn’t ready?
Despite overall progress, a BBC investigation found that 79 councils will not meet the deadline.
Of the 76, at least 57 aim to launch services by the end of 2026, and 31 councils have secured formal transitional agreements, meaning that they are not officially classified as missing the deadline.
These transitional agreements run from June 2026 to February 2043, which is the deadline agreement for North Yorkshire and York councils.
Why are some councils falling behind?
One of the most significant barriers is being locked into existing waste contracts that predate Simpler Recycling.
In York, food waste will not be collected weekly due to a contract running until 2043, which processes residual waste (including food) into biofuel.
Similarly, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham are tied into a 25-year PFI contract through the BDR Waste Partnership, linked to infrastructure at Manvers. These councils have transitional agreements until July 2040.
Some inner-city authorities face additional challenges due to dense, mixed-use environments. In these areas, councils are exploring alternatives such as on-demand or bookable collections in certain wards.
However, questions remain about whether such models meet legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, particularly the duty to “arrange” collections.
Operational and financial pressures slow implementation
However, contract restrictions have not been the only reason that councils have had difficulty with implementation.
Many councils report delays in procuring bins and vehicles, particularly specialist food waste collection lorries. The compressed implementation timeline – especially for earlier phases – created a surge in demand that suppliers initially struggled to meet. Individually procuring councils have faced even greater challenges, particularly when competing for vehicles and containers.
Several councils have also pointed to calendar constraints, such as multiple bank holidays in April and May, making it operationally difficult to launch new services during irregular collection weeks.
Although the government has provided over £340 million in capital funding, councils say this does not fully address the ongoing revenue costs of running weekly food waste services. Local authorities report that while upfront costs – including vehicles, caddies and communications – are supported, long-term financial sustainability remains unclear, particularly amid wider budget pressures.
Communicating Simpler Recycling
Looking ahead, attention is already turning to Phase 3 in 2027, when micro-firms will be brought into scope. This is expected to require further adaptation, including smaller vehicles and more frequent collections.
The ESA has called for a major communications campaign from Defra to raise awareness of the changes that now apply to workplaces and households, and will apply to micro-firms next year.
The aim of the campaign would be to offer an independent voice that gives credibility to what councils’ communications strategies and the sector has communicated to customers already.
Grant echoed the call for education: “We would like to see more focus on education, communication and behaviour change to ensure as much of the unavoidable food waste as possible is captured.
“Then this material can be treated to generate renewable energy and recycle the nutrients back to land, rather than remaining in the residual waste stream.”
Delays, while frustrating, are widely understood to be a byproduct of the scale and pace of reform.
The challenge now will be ensuring that the remaining authorities can close the gap within a “reasonable timeframe”, and that the broader system – from infrastructure to public participation – keeps pace with policy ambition.
Subscribe for free