City-wide food recycling scheme to begin in 2026

All councils must introduce food recycling services by April next year

Residents are being encouraged to sign up for a new weekly food recycling service, which is due to begin in the spring.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the initiative would reduce the amount of food waste going into general waste and cut the city's carbon emissions.

It said an online registration form was available for households to register an interest, allowing the authority to plan the rollout next year.

The government introduced legislation in 2024 to make all local authorities introduce a food recycling service from 1 April 2026.

Amjid Wazir the councillor responsible for the environment, sustainability and enforcement said the collection was a big step forward.

He said: "By recycling food waste, we can transform leftovers into something useful, such as energy or compost, rather than disposing of it as general waste."

The weekly food waste collection scheme comes into effect on 30 March 2026.