Hull to Introduce Weekly Food and Garden Waste Collections from March

Hull City Council has confirmed that weekly food and garden waste collections will be introduced across the city from 31 March, doubling the current fortnightly brown bin service for the vast majority of households. The change, which the council says will significantly boost recycling rates and reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfill, will also see the introduction of outdoor food caddies for the first time, allowing residents to dispose of cooked food, raw peelings, tea bags and other kitchen waste alongside their garden waste.

The council will begin distributing the new 23-litre outdoor food caddies to households across the city in early March, with deliveries starting in the western wards before moving eastwards. Each household will also receive a small kitchen caddy and a roll of compostable liners to make it easy to collect food waste in the kitchen before transferring it to the outdoor caddy. The outdoor caddies will be collected weekly on the same day as the brown bin, with residents asked to place both containers at the kerbside by 7am on their collection day.

The move brings Hull into line with government requirements under the Environment Act, which mandates that all local authorities in England provide separate food waste collections by 2026. Hull City Council's waste services manager said the city had secured £3.2 million in government funding to cover the cost of purchasing the new caddies, additional collection vehicles and the recruitment of extra refuse collection crews. "This is a significant investment in Hull's waste and recycling infrastructure," he said. "Food waste makes up around a third of the average household's black bin, so separating it out will make a real difference to our recycling performance and reduce disposal costs."

Residents who live in flats or properties without gardens will receive adapted arrangements, with communal food waste collection points being installed at larger residential developments across the city. The council has published a detailed guide to the new service on its website, including information about what can and cannot be placed in the food caddy, collection day schedules by postcode, and answers to frequently asked questions. Residents with queries can also contact the council's waste services team on 01482 300 300.