Residents in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, will be covered by a new weekly food waste collection service required to be in place by 31 March 2026. North Northamptonshire Council is introducing the change to help people recycle food scraps rather than throwing them into general waste bins.
Every home will be issued two containers: a small internal kitchen caddy (about 5 litres) and a larger 23‑litre external caddy with a lockable lid for kerbside use. NNC says caddy deliveries are expected to take place in February and March 2026 ahead of the service start. The rollout is funded by a DEFRA grant of about £2.47 million, which the council and local reporting say will be used to buy the caddies and the specialist collection vehicles needed for the expanded service.
Residents can put most household food waste into the new caddies — examples listed by the council include vegetable peelings, cooked or uncooked meat and fish bones, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells and leftovers. The council asks residents to place the food caddy alongside their refuse or recycling bin for weekly collection; the food caddy will be emptied by a separate vehicle and may be collected at a different time of day.
The change follows the national ‘Simpler Recycling’ policy and related regulations, which require local authorities in England to introduce weekly food waste collections for households by 31 March 2026.
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