Wiltshire food waste collection to start in 2027

WILTSHIRE Council has confirmed it will start its food waste collection service in August 2027.

Although the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had previously confirmed that local authorities should provide food waste collection by the end of March 2026, Wiltshire Council was among the councils given dispensation due to existing contractual agreements with service providers.

Wiltshire Council has now confirmed that it will start collecting weekly food waste from 1st August 2027.

It gave this update at the full council meeting on Tuesday 20th February.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member for environment, cllr Nick Holder said, “The changes through the Environment Act will have a significant impact on waste services throughout the country.

“We’ve been awaiting clear detail from Defra on these important issues for some time, so it’s good to now have the necessary direction, so that we can begin to plan these services in detail for our residents.

“We know people are rightly passionate about food waste collection and perhaps want the service earlier, but due to our current contractual arrangements this isn’t possible.

“However, in the meantime, we will be doing what we can do to support and advise residents before our collection service starts in 2027. There are plenty of ways to manage food waste effectively, so that as much is recycled as possible and not wasted.”