Slough Borough Council is investigating reports of uncollected food waste bins across Slough, Berkshire, after residents shared concerns about hygiene problems and bad smells. The council responded to complaints on February 18, 2026, by asking for specific road names so that collection crews can visit the missed areas immediately.
This issue comes as the town enters the final weeks of a project to bring weekly food recycling to every home by March 31, 2026. The council has been adding about 10,000 households to the new collection routes every month since the start of the year. This rapid growth has led to some logistical difficulties for crews trying to reach every new street on the schedule.
Residents who have seen their new food bins left on the pavement can report the problem through the council’s waste portal or social media pages. Officials need the exact names of the roads where bins were missed so they can find out why the collections were skipped and ensure the waste is cleared. The council has stated that they want to resolve these gaps quickly to prevent issues with pests or vermin in local neighbourhoods.
The new system is designed to save significant amounts of money for the community, as it costs the council £10 per tonne to recycle food waste. In comparison, it costs £120 per tonne to process general rubbish that is thrown into standard grey bins. By recycling food, the council aims to move about 40 per cent of the town’s general waste away from these expensive disposal methods.
A campaign mascot called Kit the Caddy is being used to show people how to recycle all their food scraps. Residents are encouraged to put all leftover items into the new bins, including meat, fish, and bones. Using the service correctly helps the town meet environmental goals while reducing the overall cost of bin collections for taxpayers.
