Under Simpler Recycling regulations, Defra has said that every household in England will receive a weekly food waste collection from next month (31 March 2026).
However, more than 70 councils told the BBC they will not meet that deadline.
Nine councils unable to provide start date
According to the BBC, councils cited surging demand for specialist food waste collection vehicles and ongoing funding concerns as key barriers to implementation.
This is despite Defra allocating more than £340 million in capital grants to support the transition.
Local authorities said the funding covered the upfront purchase of vehicles, caddies and communications, but did not always provide certainty over longer-term revenue costs associated with running weekly services.
Roughly half of councils were not collecting food waste on a weekly basis before the introduction of Simpler Recycling, although some authorities have operated such services for more than a decade.
Of the councils set to miss the deadline, at least 56 said they are aiming to roll out weekly collections to all households by the end of 2026. Nine were unable to provide even an approximate start date.
Formal agreements for delayed start dates
31 councils have secured formal agreements allowing for a later start date and therefore will not be classed as missing the official deadline.
However, even when those authorities are excluded, more than a third of councils will still not be collecting food waste from all homes by March.
Gareth Rollings, Chair of LARAC, explained: “The majority of councils that do not already have transitional arrangements pre-agreed with Defra and are not live by the end of March 2026 have indicated implementation later this year.
“In many cases that is realistic, as procurement and delivery processes are already well advanced.
“However, delivery depends on supply chain certainty and continued clarity around funding and regulatory requirements.
“Under the regulations, separate food waste collections remain a statutory requirement.”
Vehicle demand and funding pressures
Shropshire Council is among those delaying implementation. The authority told the BBC that launching in April would place it under “significant financial risk”.
While funding has been provided for vehicles, bins and initial delivery, the recent local government finance settlement did not provide revenue funding for a weekly food waste service.
East Hampshire District Council also confirmed that the availability of bin lorries was behind its delay, adding that it did not yet have a confirmed start date for weekly food waste collections.
Rollings added: “Where authorities are not operational by the initial date, they are expected to move to compliance as soon as reasonably practicable, and some may be operating under transitional arrangements.
“The key issue now is ensuring that the policy ambition remains aligned with operational realities, so services are implemented in a way that is financially and environmentally sustainable.”
Councils not introducing food waste collections in March
Transitional agreements have been made with councils that intend to begin food waste collections more than a year later than expected start date.
Councils that will not be starting food waste collections in March are:
- Adur – Summer 2026
- Amber Valley – June 2026
- Ashfield – October 2027
- Babergh – June 2026
- Barking and Dagenham – Autumn 2026
- Barnsley – July 2040
- Bassetlaw – October 2027
- Birmingham City – Unknown
- Blackburn and Brawn – June 2026
- Blackpool – Unknown
- Boston – Autumn 2026
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole – April 2026
- Bradford City – September 2026
- Braintree – June 2026
- Breckland – Summer 2026
- Bromsgrove – Unknown
- Broxtowe – October 2027
- Burnley – April 2026
- Bury – April 2034
- Calderdale – Unknown
- Cambridge City – End of 2026
- Charnwood – Summer 2026
- Cheshire East – Autumn 2026
- Chichester – Autumn 2026
- County Durham – July 2026
- Coventry City – September 2026
- Crawley – Autumn 2026
- Cumberland – June 2034
- Dartford – July 2026
- Doncaster – July 2040
- Dudley – April 2026
- East Cambridgeshire – June 2026
- East Hampshire – Unknown
- East Lindsey – Autumn 2026
- East Riding of Yorkshire – February 2027
- East Suffolk – June 2026
- Eastbourne – Spring 2026
- Fylde – Autumn 2026
- Gateshead – April 2039
- Gedling – October 2027
- Gosport – October 2026
- Great Yarnmouth – January 2027
- Halton – October 2026
- Havering – October 2026
- Herefordshire – Unknown
- Horsham – April 2026
- Ipswich – June 2026
- Kirklees – April 2028
- Leeds City – Unknown
- Liverpool City – Unknown
- Manchester City – April 2034
- Mansfield – October 2027
- Melton – 2026
- Mid Suffolk – June 2026
- Middlesbrough – July 2026
- New Forest – May 2026
- Newark and Sherwood – October 2027
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne City – 2026
- Newham – 2027
- North East Lincolnshire – Early 2027
- North Norfolk – Autumn 2026
- North Northamptonshire – Summer 2026
- North Tyneside – April 2026
- North West Leicestershire – Late 2026
- North Yorkshire – February 2043
- Northumberland – Summer 2026
- Nottingham City – July 2030
- Nuneaton and Bedworth – Later in 2026
- Oldham – April 2034
- Peterborough City – May 2026
- Plymouth City – November 2026
- Preston City – April 2026
- Redbridge – 2026
- Ribble Valley – Autumn 2026
- Rochdale – April 2034
- Rotherham – July 2040
- Rugby – July 2026
- Rushcliffe – October 2027
- Salford City – April 2034
- Sefton – Summer 2026
- Sevenoaks – April 2026
- Sheffield City – August 2038
- Shropshire – Unknown
- Solihull – October 2026
- South Cambridgeshire – End of 2026
- South Derbyshire – June 2026
- South Holland – Autumn 2026
- South Norfolk – September 2026
- South Staffordshire – Spring 2026
- South Tyneside – April 2039
- Staffordshire Moorlands – Unknown
- Sunderland City – April 2039
- Tower Hamlets – April 2027
- Wakefield City – February 2038
- Walsall – Unknown
- West Suffolk – June 2026
- Westmorland and Furness – April 2034
- Wigan – April 2040
- Wiltshire – August 2027
- Wirral – Summer 2026
- Wolverhampton – Autumn 2026
- Worcester City – Spring 2027
- Worthing – Summer 2026
- Wyre – April 2026
- York City – February 2043
- Isles of Scilly – Unknown
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