Ribble Valley residents asked for their views on recycling food waste

From April 2026, as part of the Government's national recycling scheme, the council has to provide a weekly food waste collection service to all residents that want it.

Households will be provided with two free plastic caddies to store food leftovers in. The collected waste will be taken to a specialist waste recycling centre in Farrington, near Preston, where it will used to generate electricity.

Ahead of the scheme’s launch, the council is asking people to give their views on the idea of food waste recycling, both positive and negative. The comments will help the council gauge possible future participation rates and help it design the service.

The survey has been launched today (Friday 15th November) and will run until 15th December.

Councillor Stuart Hirst, chairman of the council’s community services committee, said: “Residents are already used to recycling items like paper, cardboard, glass and plastics and we thank them for their support in helping to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up being tipped into landfill sites.

“The Government is introducing household food recycling collections across the country from spring 2026 to increase recycling rates and we are busy preparing for that. We want to know what our residents think about recycling food waste and what we can do to help them take part in the collections.

“The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete and we want as many people as possible to take part so we have a clearer idea of people’s views.”

Residents can take part in the survey by clicking here. Paper copies of the survey are available at Ribble Valley Borough Council main reception to complete and return.

The council currently collects recyclable household waste such as glass, cans, plastics, and garden waste, once a week, and paper and cardboard every fortnight. The borough’s recycling rate is almost 40%.

Ends

Ref: NR111024

Date: 15th November 2024.

Further details for the press are available from Ribble Valley Borough Council’s communications unit on 01200 414483 or 07438 162349.