Weekly collections of food waste will launch in Test Valley this October.
In a move designed to improve recycling, all households will be included in the service, meeting the requirements of the Environment Act ahead of the April 2026 deadline.
The new collection service is scheduled to start on Monday, October 13, and will be emptied weekly by new specialist collection vehicles.
In preparation, a specialist distribution company will deliver caddy packs to residents across the borough, which includes Romsey, Nursling and Rownhams, from Monday, August 26.
The distribution of these caddy packs is expected to take around seven weeks to complete.
Food waste collections in Test Valley will begin on Monday, October 13. (Image: Test Valley Borough Council) The packs will include a five-litre kitchen caddy for food waste and scraps, a 23-litre kerbside caddy for most households, and information about the new collection service.
Residents who share their recycling bins and live in flats and other such accommodations will receive a 140-litre grey-lidded wheeled bin instead. The shared bins will be delivered in September.
A postcard will also be sent to all residents in September confirming the collection day of their food waste.
The collected food waste will be processed at a local anaerobic digestion facility.
The facility will see the waste broken down by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen, generating methane-rich biogas which can be used as fuel.
The remaining product can then be used as a nutrient-rich fertiliser.
There are numerous items that can be placed into the food waste caddies, including uneaten food, raw and cooked meat and fish (including bones), tea bags, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetables (raw or cooked), out of date or mouldy food, and dairy products such as cheese.
A comprehensive list will be provided on the council’s website.
Compostable liners will come with each caddy pack.
The council is providing a starter pack which consists of 26 liners, and is expected to last approximately 10 weeks.
Once the starter pack is used up, households can opt to purchase additional compostable caddy liners from local shops or online, line their caddy with newspaper or paper towels, or simply put the food waste directly into the caddy.
This new service is being introduced ahead of the mandated deadline of April 1, 2026, in response to the Environment Act, which requires all councils to have food waste collections in place.
Additional information about the food waste collection service can be found on the council’s webpage.