Starter packs sent for new food waste collections

The service will be rolled out across the area in phases

Residents in an area of Brighton have been receiving starter packs ahead of new food waste collections.

The packs are being sent to homes from Saltdean to Brighton Marina, ahead of the collections that start in the area from 15 September.

The packs include a kitchen caddy, compostable caddy liners, a how-to guide, and either an outdoor caddy with an orange lid or, for some blocks of flats, access to a shared food waste bin.

Tim Rowkins, Brighton and Hove City Council's cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: "Food waste makes up more than a third of what we currently throw out, so this service will make a big difference to reducing waste and diverting it for reuse as compost."

Residents will also receive postcards with details of when their food waste collections will start and their regular collection day.

Refuse and recycling collection days will not change.

Food waste can be either cooked or uncooked and can include plate scrapings, bread, pasta, rice, fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, fish, eggshells, dairy products, tea bags and coffee grounds.

The council service has been supported by a grant from the government and will be delivered in three further phases.

About 29,500 households in the north of the city will receive the service in October.

This will be followed by another 31,500 homes in the west of the city in November, and 76,000 in central and communal areas by March 2026.

The council said each phase of the rollout will inform the next, so dates may be subject to change.