This initiative takes the total number of participating households in Brighton and Hove to 73,000.

The city council has already delivered starter packs to homes in these areas.

Residents are encouraged to check the council website for their designated collection day for food waste.

First introduced in the city’s eastern parts last September and followed by a second phase in October, the scheme has grown rapidly.

Collections have soared from 6 tonnes in the initial week to 230 tonnes collected across both zones by late November.

That’s 3,833 full wheelie bins worth diverted from waste for recycling.

Commenting on this, Councillor Tim Rowkins, cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “I’m delighted to see phase 3 of food waste collections starting, giving residents in the west of the city the opportunity to easily recycle food waste which currently makes up more than a third of the waste found in household bins.

Councillor Tim Rowkins with kitchen and outdoor caddies. (Image: Brighton and Hove City Council)

“The take-up of the scheme so far has been amazing, exceeding all expectations, and I want to thank residents in the east and north of the city for taking part.

“We’re already preparing for the fourth, final and biggest phase of food waste collections.”

From December 8, residents in the west can deposit all types of cooked and uncooked food waste into their caddies.

This includes unpackaged bread, pasta and rice, fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and bones, dairy, tea bags and coffee grounds.

Residents should ensure the caddies are placed visibly at the property edge, ready for collection between 5am and 10pm.

The £1.2 million investment aims to extend this recycling initiative to all households, inclusive of flats, kerbside and communal areas by March 2026.

The final phase is anticipated to cover 76,000 households in the central and communal on-street bin areas of Queen’s Park, Hanover, Kemptown, Whitehawk, Central Brighton, Seven Dials, Roundhill and Central Hove.

For detailed information on the food waste initiative, missed collections or replacement caddies, residents are advised to consult the council’s website.