Overview
- From 31 March 2026, all English councils must collect waste in four separate streams, including a new weekly household food waste service that applies to flats as well as houses.
- Defra granted bespoke transitional delays to 31 local authorities tied to long-term contracts, though officials say they will keep working with them to bring services forward where possible.
- Local rollouts are underway: Derby begins delivering indoor and outdoor food caddies in January using £2.7m in government funding for vehicles, staff and containers, while Dudley has set an April 6, 2026 start with new caddies and a blue bin for mixed recycling.
- Government capital support cited in coverage includes a £295m national programme, yet bodies such as the District Councils’ Network and the LGA warn many councils face cost pressures, equipment lead times and tight deadlines.
- Birmingham’s year-long bin workers’ strike continues to suspend recycling collections, with holiday-week schedules reshuffled for general waste, a Unite ‘megapicket’ planned next month and the council running a contingency that it says is collecting large daily tonnages.