Erewash Borough Council has confirmed further details about the introduction of weekly food waste collections, including the estimated cost of running the service and the number of vehicles and containers being purchased.
The weekly collections, which will begin from April 2026, are being introduced to comply with national Simpler Recycling regulations requiring councils to collect household food waste separately.
Cost of the service
According to council budget papers, the ongoing cost of providing weekly food waste collections across the borough is estimated at £936,000 per year.
This figure includes staffing, vehicle operation and other non-staff running costs associated with delivering the service on a borough-wide basis.
While the government has provided funding to support the introduction of food waste collections, the council states that there is no separately identifiable long-term funding allocation for the ongoing revenue costs of the service within the national funding settlement.
Vehicles and containers
The council has secured capital funding of £1.08m from the government to purchase:
- Six dedicated food waste collection vehicles
- Approximately 55,000 food waste containers, including kitchen caddies and external bins
These purchases form part of the council’s approved capital programme in preparation for the service launch.
Start date
Councils are required to have food waste collections in place by 31 March 2026, with Erewash planning to begin collections from 30 March 2026.
Further operational details, including collection arrangements and household guidance, are expected to be published closer to the implementation date.