Food waste collections coming to Havant

Weekly food waste collections will start in areas within the Borough of Havant from April 2026, enabling you to boost the amount you recycle. This major change will help residents recycle more, reduce what goes to incineration, and turn leftovers into something genuinely useful.

The service will be introduced in phases, starting with a pilot area within the borough before rolling out to all households later in the year.

When your food waste collections will begin depends on where you live. 

If your household is part of the initial pilot, you will receive an introduction letter from us during March 2026, with your bin caddies being delivered shortly afterwards. 

When the service starts, your food waste will be collected weekly on the same day as your rubbish and recycling collections, unless we contact you to tell you otherwise. 

Why are we introducing food waste collections?

Required under the Environment Act 2021, 'Simpler Recycling' aims to increase household recycling rates by making it easier for people to recycle the same materials across the country.

Working with Portsmouth City Council, food waste collected in the borough of Havant will be sent for anaerobic digestion, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make use of food leftovers.

Food waste items you can recycle  

When food waste collections begin, you will be able to recycle: 

• bread, cakes and pastries
• cheese and yoghurt
• cooked and uncooked vegetables, including peelings
• fish and shellfish
• inedible food items, for example fruit skins and egg shells
• leftover takeaways
• meat (including bones)
• mouldy and out-of-date food
• pet food
• plate scrapings
• rice, pasta and beans
• solid fats
• tea bags and coffee grounds 

 If you put anything else in your food waste caddy, it will not be collected. 

Residents will be provided with information ahead of time of the materials that can and cannot be recycled in their food waste bin. Residents will be provided with an outdoor food waste bin for kerbside collection, as well as a kitchen caddy to collect food waste in the home.

What you need to know

• Alternate weekly household waste collections will continue as normal
• Weekly food waste collections will begin in April 2026
• There will be no change to materials collected in your recycling bins
• Please continue to recycle your glass at our glass banks. Further information for our glass sites can be found here
• Please continue to recycle your hard plastics at our plastic banks. Further information for our plastic recycling sites can be found here
• Garden waste subscription services and Bulky Waste collections will continue as usual

What happens until the new service starts?

All services will remain unchanged until the new food waste collections are in place. Residents will receive notification of the changes ahead of time.

What happens to my food waste?

Food waste is recycled into biogas, which contains natural gas, a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. The process also produces valuable soil enhancers, including nutrient-rich compost and liquid fertiliser.

Find out more about recycling your food waste - we're here to set the record straight!