In July 2025, the council signed an agreement with Bio Capital for food waste collected across Suffolk to be processed at an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility located at the Adnams Distribution Centre in Reydon.
However, in the months following the agreement, Bio Capital decided not to proceed with the contract, prompting the council to seek an alternative solution for the treatment of separately collected food waste.
A Suffolk County Council spokesperson commented: “The council is extremely disappointed that the original agreement collapsed when the provider decided to walk away.
“However we responded quickly and currently have an interim solution in place. This remains within budget and residents will not see any impact on their collections.
“Although these sites are in March and Halstead, the majority of our vehicles will actually be making shorter journeys.”
Bio Capital said its decision was driven by changes in market conditions since the contract was first assessed.
A spokesperson for Bio Capital explained: “After careful consideration, Bio Capital decided not to proceed with the proposed arrangement. Changes in market conditions since the contract was first assessed, meant the terms were not commercially viable.
“We would like to thank Suffolk County Council for its engagement throughout the process and wish them success with their future plans.”
Interim agreements set until 2028
Suffolk County Council has now secured interim agreements with two regional AD facilities – Local Generation/BioteCH4 in March, Cambridgeshire, and Biogen in Halstead, Essex.
The arrangements will remain in place until September 2028 while the authority undertakes a competitive procurement process for a longer-term contract.
The council said the interim solution remains within its existing budget for food waste management, although contract values have not been disclosed due to commercial sensitivity.
According to the authority, the new arrangements will also deliver savings when compared with sending food waste to the county’s Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility, where much of the material would previously have been disposed of in residual waste streams before the introduction of mandatory separate food waste collections.
Suffolk County Council estimates that the interim contracts will save taxpayers around £80 per tonne of food waste processed when compared with treatment through the EfW facility.
The move comes as councils across England adapt to the requirements of Simpler Recycling reforms, which from 31 March 2026 requires local authorities to provide separate weekly food waste collections to households.
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