Issue - meetings

The Environmental Services Manager presented the Food Waste Collections Implementation report.

Members were advised that the requirement to introduce a separate food waste collection service had been established under the Environment Act 2021, with a compliance deadline of the end of March 2026. As part of the Act, the Government had committed to providing capital funding for vehicles and containers, together with ongoing revenue funding to support service delivery. Whilst capital funding had been received, the Government had delayed providing details of the ongoing revenue funding arrangements. Members were informed that no specific allocation for food waste collections had been identified within the Local Government Finance Settlement and there had been no significant increase in funding to support implementation costs.

It was reported that a number of local authorities had opted not to implement the service at this stage, including Wyre Forest District Council, due to concerns regarding funding.

The Committee was advised that Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council had been working together to develop a joint service. A joint procurement exercise had initially been undertaken with Wyre Forest District Council because of limited depot capacity across the area and the intention to use a third-party provider to support delivery and share risk. However, following changes to the funding position, Wyre Forest District Council had withdrawn from the procurement process, meaning that the original proposal could not proceed.

As part of the Council’s financial planning, provision had been made within the Medium Term Financial Plan to address an anticipated shortfall in revenue funding. However, Members were informed that this funding would now be required to support the overall rollout of the service.

The Environmental Services Manager explained that the proposed approach would initially provide food waste collections to approximately fifty per cent of households in Redditch, commencing between late January and early February of the following year. Members noted that the collection vehicles had a lead time of approximately twelve months and were expected to arrive in December 2026. The service would therefore be introduced in phases, rather than being implemented across the whole Borough at once. This phased approach would enable the Council to ensure the service was operating effectively before extending it further.

It was highlighted that a number of local authorities, including Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, had implemented their services on a Borough-wide basis from the outset and had subsequently experienced significant operational difficulties. Members were advised that the phased rollout was intended to mitigate these risks, avoid disruption to existing recycling services and protect the Council’s reputation.

The report also outlined proposals for additional funding to support the eventual expansion of the service to all households. Members were informed that the Council was not currently compliant with its statutory duties in relation to food waste collections. However, commencing implementation would demonstrate progress towards compliance and reduce the risk of legal challenge. It was further noted that Government was not currently taking enforcement action against authorities that had yet to fully implement the service and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23

The Committee considered a report on Food Waste Collections Implementation. The report set out the proposed way forward for the introduction of a weekly domestic food waste collection service within Redditch.

Members were advised that the requirement to introduce a separate food waste collection service had been established under the Environment Act 2021, with a statutory deadline of March 2026 to introduce the service. As the service had not yet been introduced, the Council was not currently compliant with the statutory duty. However, officers explained that Redditch was not alone in this position, as no local authorities in Worcestershire were yet compliant and a significant proportion of authorities nationally were also not yet meeting the requirement.

The Committee was informed that the Council had previously sought to procure an external contractor to provide the service jointly for Redditch Borough Council together with Bromsgrove District Council and Wyre Forest District Council. This approach had been pursued because the Council did not have sufficient land to operate a full food waste collection service. Outsourcing had also been considered a way to manage risk, given that the Council had a duty to provide the service, but the level of take up by residents was unknown.

Officers explained that central Government had provided capital funding to support implementation, including the purchase of vehicles and food waste caddies. However, no clear additional ongoing revenue funding had been confirmed to cover the ongoing cost of the service. Also, no specific allocation for food waste collections had been identified within the Local Government Finance Settlement. Members were advised that £500,000 had therefore been allocated in the Medium Term Financial Plan to cover a significant proportion of the revenue costs, although further funding would be required to enable the provision of the service to all households.

The Committee was advised that officers were proposing to implement the service in phases. The first phase would cover approximately half of households in Redditch and was expected to begin in late January or early February 2027, following delivery of the vehicles in December 2026 and after the high-pressure Christmas waste collection period. Officers explained that this approach would allow the service to be introduced carefully, monitored and expanded once operational arrangements were working effectively.

It was highlighted that a number of local authorities, including Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC), that had implemented their services on a Borough-wide basis from the outset, had subsequently experienced significant operational difficulties. Members were advised that the phased rollout was intended to mitigate these risks and avoid disruption to existing recycling services.

Members were informed that the principal operational challenge related to the availability of land from which to operate the service. Officers were in negotiations with the private sector regarding the sites that the Council could lease. The proposal was for Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council to operate from a shared site, which would reduce costs and provide greater resilience through shared staffing and vehicle arrangements.

The Committee was advised that the report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21