Council to start rollout of weekly food waste collections for Horsham District residents

Published: 19 Jan 2026

HDC Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, Recycling and Waste Cllr Jay Mercer with new food waste collection truck and bins

Horsham District Council is taking another major step towards a greener, cleaner future for Horsham District as it gears up to start weekly food waste recycling collections across the District from March 2026.

From 19 January all Horsham District households will receive letters explaining how the new service will be delivered.

The food waste collection service will be rolled out in phases, with a starter pack delivered to every household from February to April. The exact collection start dates will depend on where residents live.

Each household will receive a lockable outside food waste bin and a 5-litre caddy for use in the kitchen. A starter roll of compostable liners and a leaflet which lists what can and cannot go in the food waste bin will be included. Flats will receive a kitchen caddy and communal external food waste bin.

The new recycling service comes as part of the UK Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms, designed to make recycling easier and more consistent across England.

Refuse and recycling collections will continue as usual every other week: these new food waste collections are an additional service on top of these. Collection days will not change – the food waste recycling bin will be collected weekly on the same day as either your recycling or general waste bin, depending on where you live.

Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, Recycling and Waste Cllr Jay Mercer said: “We’re proud to be launching weekly food waste collections across Horsham District as part of our commitment to a cleaner, greener future.

Thanks to the continued efforts of our residents, we already have some of the highest recycling rates in the country and I’m sure this new service will be embraced just as enthusiastically.

“More than 40% of the rubbish in an average Horsham District household bin is food waste and the average UK household throws away around £700 of edible food each year. By recycling food waste separately, we can significantly cut the amount of rubbish sent to landfill or other disposal sites, lower harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and make better use of our resources.”

More details on our food waste collection service including what you can and can’t put in your food waste bin can be found on the Council website.

You are also encouraged to download the free Council app to receive alerts for your collection dates.

You can also visit the Council’s Bin Calendar webpage and use the postcode search to view the collection dates for your property:.

Please check your online bin calendar from 20 January to see when your feed waste collection will start.