Residents in Basingstoke and Deane and Hart will be able to recycle more and reduce how much they waste when new weekly food waste collections are introduced in October. 

Working with their waste collection contractor Serco, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hart District Council will introduce food waste collections during the week beginning Monday 6 October, ahead of the Government’s mandatory deadline of April 2026.

Food items including fruit and vegetable peelings, meat and fish and bones and shells, tea bags, eggshells, pet food and all uneaten food and plate scrapings will be recycled and turned into greener energy and fertiliser. 

When the new service starts, residents will put out their food waste caddies each week on the same day their rubbish and recycling containers are collected, unless they are contacted separately to tell them otherwise.

Everything they need to use the service will be delivered to their home throughout August and September. 

All households will be provided with:

• one grey indoor caddy
• a roll of liners 
• and an information leaflet to help them use the service.

 Containers for outside the home:

• residents who have wheeled bins collected from the kerbside will also receive a green outdoor caddy
• those people with communal waste bins will be delivered a large, shared food waste bin separately.

Residents do not need to be at home to receive their caddy but it is advised to ask a neighbour to keep them safe if they will be away on holiday or for an extended period. 

Each council will provide updates on deliveries for individual areas on their websites and social media. Residents should contact the council if all of their immediate neighbours have received caddies and they are the only ones who have not.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing Cllr Laura James said: “Residents have told us they want to recycle more. I am delighted we are now introducing this new service which will not only boost the borough’s recycling rates but will also reduce the amount thrown away in our rubbish bins. 

“Food waste recycling is a great opportunity for people to see just how much food they might be wasting. Cutting down on avoidable waste like out-of-date food or uneaten leftovers, could help to save people money while also reducing their impact on the environment.”

Councillor Alan Oliver, Hart District Council Portfolio Holder for Development Management and Waste Services said: “Rolling out a new service and delivering caddies across the whole district is a significant undertaking and we hope residents will find everything they need in their delivery to help them recycle more from the kerbside.  

“We understand that people may have questions. The handy guide delivered with your caddies should answer most queries, but please also check our website or contact us if there is anything else you need to know about your new weekly service.”

For more information on food waste recycling in Basingstoke and Deane visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/food-waste   

For more information on food waste recycling in Hart visit www.hart.gov.uk/food-waste-collections