{"id":485653,"date":"2026-03-20T10:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485653\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T10:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:28:18","slug":"inside-the-return-of-food-waste-collections-to-preston-blog-preston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485653\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the return of food waste collections to Preston \u2013 Blog Preston"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t received one, and are expecting to, by 10 April then do get in touch with us. All homes which have a kerbside or driveway bin collection should receive caddies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome households won\u2019t receive one yet though as if you\u2019re in a shared occupancy block or maybe a large apartment block we\u2019re still working through how these premises will receive and participate in food waste collections.\u201d<\/p>\n

A return of food waste collections after more than a decade away is part of a nationwide scheme, from the government, to bring back the collections everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"CabinetCabinet member for environment and community safety councillor Freddie Bailey with the food waste caddies Pic: Blog Preston<\/p>\n

Cllr Bailey said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been working, thanks to the likes of Duncan and the team, to get ahead on this and we have done so \u2013 with the caddies, vehicles and staffing secured.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese weekly collections will have two big impacts, I think, the first is to try and tackle climate change as the impact methane has on the environment is huge and so if 70,000 households in the city can do their bit in reducing the amount of food waste going to landfill and instead being recycled that\u2019s going to have an impact. Multiply that by it happening across the country and it\u2019s a big environmental step change.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecondly, I think people will notice how much food they are throwing away. If you\u2019re putting half a loaf in each week, there\u2019s an opportunity there to buy a smaller loaf and save a bit of money. It will mean it helps people in these times where there is a cost of living crisis, while also doing good for the planet and for wallets too.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you have the bins already, please pop them somewhere safe until the collections start \u2013 as there\u2019s a reason we\u2019re collecting the food waste weekly. We wouldn\u2019t want those bags of food waste being sat there for weeks before we begin the collections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not new to the city<\/p>\n

Preston used to have food waste collections until around 2015-16 when they were scrapped as part of sweeping council cutbacks.<\/p>\n

Cllr Bailey said: \u201cThat was a different financial situation due to austerity imposed by the government at the time and we had to focus on what was a statutory duty to provide \u2013 and food waste collections were not \u2013 so it made sense to remove them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this scheme is different as we have cross-party support for this, it was actually proposed centrally under the previous Tory government, before the Labour government then funded it properly after councils raised concerns about our ability to bring it in. The government has given us the funding to do this, covering the vehicles, the bins and the staffing and this means we can bring back the food waste collections, but also do it on a bigger scale across the whole city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Coward said the previous food waste scheme \u2013 which had a small green bin and a larger green caddy which was picked up kerbside \u2013 had been in use across around 15,000 households. The new bins are a grey or silver colour.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIt was popular, we had good take up and I think quite a lot of people were sad to see it go. It means as well we know what needs to be done, we know what to expect and we scale that up to make it work across the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously a lot of people do composting already \u2013 but that does take a lot of time to do it right \u2013 so they may wish to use the food waste bins as well, or maybe there\u2019s food waste they don\u2019t think is right for their compost so we\u2019ll take it away instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new bin lorry on the rounds<\/p>\n

\"OneOne of the new fleet of vehicles to collect food waste Pic: Blog Preston<\/p>\n

The new weekly collections will see new bin lorries on the streets to undertake the pick-up of the larger caddy, which has a fully lockable lid, with two-person crews undertaking the bin rounds.<\/p>\n

Mr Coward, who has worked for the council for 28 years, \u201cThey are much smaller than the usual bin lorries and they will operate on the same day as your usual bin collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if your recycling or household waste bin is picked up on a Monday, your food waste bin can go out each Monday too. And you\u2019ll see these new vehicles coming along to collect them, they operate in much the same way as the larger bin lorries although they do look a bit different due to their design.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bin challenge<\/p>\n

Alongside the bin deliveries, a roll of liners is also being delivered for each household along with a leaflet with information on how to use the two bins.<\/p>\n

\"CabinetCabinet member for environment and community safety councillor Freddie Bailey aboard one of the new vehicles Pic: Blog Preston<\/p>\n

Cllr Bailey said: \u201cI am aware of just how much feedback and emotion the bins seem to stir, but it is important to remember it is delivered to the property. It might be you are renting, and the person who comes after you does want to use the bins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be taking a common sense approach to receiving bins back, but I\u2019d encourage people to give it a try and they might find it really cuts down their food waste because it becomes more visible to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

New rolls of liners are available free of charge, either by ordering them via the council or tying a line around the handle of the bin on collection day and crews will leave some by or in your empty bin.<\/p>\n

Mr Coward said: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to use the liners either, a plastic bag can be used. We recommend using a bag or liner as it means it is easier to empty and keep the bins cleans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council has been undertaking public briefing sessions at supermarkets and other venues across the city to inform residents about the new food waste bins.<\/p>\n

Mr Coward said: \u201cWe\u2019ve had a good response \u2013 people seem interested as to why they are coming in, and generally pretty positive. You often find people say and act one way online but actually in person everyone\u2019s fairly pleasant about why it\u2019s happening and just generally want the information so they know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pride in bins<\/p>\n

\"CouncillorCouncillor Freddie Bailey with the food waste caddies Pic: Blog Preston<\/p>\n

Cllr Bailey said the council\u2019s track record on bins meant he was confident about how the new food waste bins would go.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe\u2019ve always had an in-house bin collection service here and I think it\u2019s an area of the council where people have a huge amount of confidence. This depot we\u2019re in now dates back to the 1880s and we were doing bin collections back then.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been out on the rounds with the teams on a number of occasions doing a shift with them and the response they get is amazing to see. People give them gifts, stop to chat, and they just genuinely have a great relationship with the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course mistakes are made, but we go back and if a collection is missed we\u2019ll be back there and get it done once someone calls in. We\u2019ve not got an outsourced contract, we\u2019re not in the kind of situation you\u2019ve seen unfolding down in Birmingham for example with the strikes and huge piles of uncollected rubbish. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd our crews, they look smart, they look the part \u2013 there\u2019s no mistaking that\u2019s our team out there doing that crucial service for residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that Duncan and his team will be doing everything they can to ensure the food waste collections go smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where will our food waste go?<\/p>\n

The food waste collections are being brought in due to the Environment Act of 2021 which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions coming from landfill. Currently food waste is burnt, alongside general waste, which creates energy from waste but this produces significant greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Instead the food waste is diverted off to be dried, composted and made into compost-like output which is used for land restoration or covering old landfill sites. This process will take place at the Lancashire County Council waste centre at Farington.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated around 40,000 tonnes of food waste will be collected each year in Lancashire.<\/p>\n

Got food waste bin questions?<\/p>\n

A dedicated page on the city council\u2019s site<\/a> has details on how to use the new bins and how to contact the council if there\u2019s any issues.<\/p>\n

Support Blog Preston: Keep our community reporting going and view the website without any adverts too.\u00a0Sign up for a membership today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stay updated:\u00a0Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston,\u00a0join our WhatsApp channel<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter<\/a>. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox. Help us report too, by\u00a0contacting us<\/a>\u00a0if you see something we should be reporting on.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0See the latest Preston news and headlines<\/a><\/p>\n

\tShare:<\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tWhatsApp
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tEmail
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tCopy Link
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tFacebook
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tX
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tLinkedIn
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Article categoriesDeepdale<\/a>, Politics<\/a>, Preston Council<\/a>, Preston News<\/a><\/p>\n

\tSupport Blog Preston<\/a><\/p>\n

\tSupport independent journalism in PrestonAd free browsing experienceExclusive letter from the Editor each month<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tAnnual membership<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMonthly membership<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tProud Preston
\n\t\t238 Articles<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"The
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"\"
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"Proud<\/p>\n

\t\tPrestonians doing good and lovely things\t\tView collection
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\tPreston Businesses<\/p>\n

Advertise with us<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

\tSubscribe to our newsletter<\/p>\n

\t<\/p>\n

\tSubscribe<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tCity Centre Redevelopment
\n\t\t94 Articles<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"Vacant
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"The
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"Deichmann<\/p>\n

\t\tPreston – it\u2019ll be great when it\u2019s finished. \t\tView collection
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tPreston major venue petition
\n\t\t7 Articles<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"The
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"Preston
\n\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t \"Bay<\/p>\n

\t\tOur petition calling for Preston to have a major city venue again – as the Guild Hall remains closed\t\tView collection
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tSupport Blog Preston<\/a><\/p>\n

We’ve been going for 17 years and reporting on the city – Preston has always supported us, and we’ve always supported the city. If you value what we do and want to see independent original local journalism thrive please become a supporter today to help us do more.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tSupport independent journalism in PrestonAd free browsing experienceExclusive letter from the Editor each month
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnnual membership<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMonthly membership<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tRead more about our membership plans and where money goes<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Blog<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n