Wiltshire Council has set a date for its food waste collection service to begin.

Although the government had previously confirmed that local authorities should provide food waste collection by the end of March 2026, Wiltshire Council was among the local authorities given dispensation due to existing contractual agreements with service providers.

Wiltshire Council has now confirmed that it will start collecting weekly food waste from August 1, 2027.

It gave the update at the full council meeting on Tuesday, February 20.

Councillor Nick Holder, cabinet member for environment, said: “The changes through the Environment Act will have a significant impact on waste services throughout the country.

“We’ve been awaiting clear detail from Defra on these important issues for some time, so it’s good to now have the necessary direction so that we can begin to plan these services in detail for our residents.  

“We know people are rightly passionate about food waste collection and perhaps want the service earlier but due to our current contractual arrangements this isn’t possible.

“However, in the meantime, we will be doing what we can do to support and advise residents before our collection service starts in 2027.

“There are plenty of ways to manage food waste effectively so that as much is recycled as possible and not wasted.”

Reforms to household and business bin collections and a crackdown on unscrupulous waste carriers were announced by the government in October 2023 in a bid to boost recycling rates and protect the environment.

The approach was aimed at ensuring people across England will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school, putting an end to confusion over what can and can’t be recycled in different parts of the country.

The introduction of weekly food waste collections - such as those rolled out in Swindon recently - is aimed at ending the threat of smelly waste waiting for collection and cutting food waste heading to landfill. 

Environment secretary at the time Therese Coffey said: "Simpler recycling will help us all recycle more easily, doing our bit to help save the planet and make the best use of precious resources that we use every day.

"Alongside weekly food waste collections, we are ending the postcode lottery of what you can put in your bin so that wherever you live in the country, you will be able to recycle the same products with confidence."