Food waste collections

Introducing food waste collections

Household food waste collections will be introduced in Adur and Worthing during summer 2026.

The new weekly collection service will be introduced in phases with individual properties receiving the service in the first phase, followed by flats and communal properties. The speed of roll-out will be dependent on the level of government revenue funding for the new service, which is yet to be announced.

Refuse and recycling will continue to be collected on alternate weeks.

Food waste caddies and full information about the service will be delivered to you before collections begin.

Separating food waste

Food waste collections are being introduced to help us to improve our recycling rate and to comply with the government's Simpler Recycling regulations, which aim to create greater consistency in the way recycling is collected across the country.

In Adur and Worthing, approximately one third of the waste in our refuse bins is food waste. This waste will soon be separated and treated via anaerobic digestion, producing valuable biogas and fertiliser.

Preventing food waste

Of the food waste found in our bins, 70% could have been eaten at some point before being thrown away. Of that, 41% is not used in time and 25% is binned because too much has been cooked. Reducing the amount we throw away by only buying and cooking what we need, storing food properly and using our leftovers is not only a win for the environment but could save the average family of four £80 per month.

For more information on reducing food waste please see: