Blackburn with Darwen Council set for food waste collections

The move by Blackburn with Darwen Council will see borough homes receiving a small indoor caddy for the kitchen, rolls of caddy liners, and an additional small 25-litre outside bin for the separation of food waste.

They are in addition to the current separate bin collections for non-recyclable waste (burgundy bin), and for the recycling of paper and card (blue bin) and glass, cans, and plastic bottles (grey bin).

Householders can also choose to pay for the subscription-based green/garden waste service (brown bin).

The new service follows the government instructing all local authorities nationally to start collecting food waste separately from March 31, 2026, but Blackburn with Darwen Council has an approved delay to introduce a weekly food waste collection service until June 1 2026, to coincide with the cessation of the existing residual waste disposal contract.

Cllr Jim Smith is welcoming the new bins (Image: NQ staff)

It will be initially paid for from a government grant of £1,157,421, which breaks down as £132,930 for kitchen caddies; £293,181 for food waste bins £15,210 for large communal containers for blocks of flats; and £716,100 for food waste collection vehicles.

In addition to the introduction of the residential household service, businesses of 10 employees or more are expected to arrange for their own food waste to be collected before April 1, 2025.

Businesses with fewer than 10 employees will need to arrange for the collection of their food waste from 2027.

Private contractors are available to provide food waste collection services to businesses.

The new strategy for the separate collection of food waste is to be approved by Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive board when it meets on Thursday evening.

The collections also support the strategic priorities of Blackburn with Darwen borough council’s corporate strategy, especially by acting on the climate emergency and supporting its aim to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's environment boss, Cllr Jim Smith, said: "With the government making it mandatory for us to collect food waste from 2026, we want to ensure that all residents of the borough are well equipped to recycle their food waste.

"This not only benefits you by making your burgundy bin cleaner, but also helps the wider climate issue we are all facing.

"I look forward to working with residents in the coming years to ensure everyone plays their part."

If Blackburn with Darwen mirrors the participation rates achieved in other boroughs already using the system, it would expect to collect approximately 4,600 tonnes of food waste a year from its households.