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Council announces food waste trial for flats

Aled Thomas
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Getty Images Rotting and bruised fruit, including bruised and rotting apples, half an onion and other orange and vegetable and fruit skinsGetty Images
The law says that by next year food waste must be collected from all homes

Plans have been announced for a trial involving food waste being collected from about 500 flats in a town.

Swindon Borough Council collects food waste from nearly every house in the borough but until now most people living in flats could not use the service, and instead had to put food waste in with ordinary rubbish.

The law says that by next year food waste must be collected from all homes.

Councillor Chris Watts said the trial, involving 488 flats on 12 different estates, is due to start very soon.

Swindon Borough Council A composite image of two photos. On the left, is a refuse worker wearing a hi-vis jacket smiling at the camera whilst tipping a black food bin caddy into a big red bin on a residential pathway. On the right is a refuse truck on a street with a tree in the background.Swindon Borough Council
Mr Watts said the trial will include high-rise flats in Seagry Court and Upavon Court

"The trial includes the Penhill high-rise flats of Seagry Court and Upavon Court," Mr Watts told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Using the lessons learned from the trial, plans will be put in place to extend the collections to all flats in the borough by the March 2026 deadline," he added.

The trial collection of communal food waste is due to start in the west Swindon area in May.

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