Winchester residents making a huge impact by recycling their food waste
Weekly food waste collections are now available to all homes across the Winchester district, following a staged roll out of the new service since October 2025.
The Biffa crews are collecting around 60 tonnes of food waste per week, which creates enough energy to power six average homes for a year when turned into green energy at the anaerobic digestion plant.
Councillor Steve Cramoysan, Cabinet Member for Recycling and Public Protection said “I’d like to send a huge thank you to our residents. Most of us are really careful not to waste food, but some waste is unavoidable and residents across the district are now using the new service to turn things like peelings, chicken or fish bones, coffee grounds or tea bags into energy. We were really pleased to hear that over ninety percent of those who responded to our recent Recycling: Looking to the Future survey said it is a simple and convenient process.”
Food waste collections are weekly on residents’ usual bin day. Every household has been provided with a small grey kitchen caddy, an outdoor bin with a locking handle, and a starter roll of compostable liners. Communal properties have shared outdoor wheelie bins in addition to their individual caddies.
The nine specialist vehicles for food waste collections are fuelled by hydrotreated vegetable oil instead of diesel, reducing carbon emissions by up to 94%.
Residents can find out more about the food waste recycling service and how their food waste is turned into green energy and soil improver at www.winchester.gov.uk/foodwaste