It’s a big month for Test Valley, as from the 13th of October, we’re launching our new weekly food waste collection service across the borough. Every household will receive a kitchen and kerbside caddy to collect their food waste. And we’ll be collecting this weekly using our new fleet of specialist vehicles. If you live in a flat or a property with shared bins, you’ll receive a communal 140-litre grey-lidded wheeled bin instead.
If you haven’t received your caddies just yet, they’ll be on their way, and you should also have received a separate postcard telling you which day your food waste will be collected.
And these are more than just new bins – they’re the start of a smarter way to recycle. Food waste has always been collected from the borough’s black bins every two weeks, along with all the other household waste. This waste is burnt to produce electricity in a local ‘energy from waste’ facility. However, it’s not the most sustainable method for dealing with food waste. With the new service, food waste will be collected weekly and taken to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it will be transformed into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser.
We’re introducing this service to help transform recycling in our borough and meet the requirements of the Environment Act, which says all councils must have food waste collections in place by 1 April 2026. But we’ve pushed to introduce the collections five months early, in a positive step towards transforming recycling in the area.
Our new fleet of 7.5-tonne food waste collection vehicles will also run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a renewable fuel that cuts greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95%. It’s another way we’re investing in a cleaner, greener future for Test Valley.
If you’d like more information, want to check out our frequently asked questions, or need some guidance on what you can put in your caddy, visit www.testvalley.gov.uk/foodwaste.
Last month, Test Valley Borough Council cemented its commitment to supporting serving and former armed forces personnel and their families who live and work in the borough with the signing of a new Armed Forces Covenant.
The covenant sets out the council’s promise to provide dedicated and enhanced help to those who serve in the regular and reserve armed forces and was signed by me as leader of the council, the chief executive, Andy Ferrier, and Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Ian Jeffrey. Brigadier James Ashworth from Army Headquarters and Colonel Brendan Shaw, Commandant of the Army Aviation Centre, signed it on behalf of the Armed Forces.
The covenant aims to ensure that members of the armed forces community do not face disadvantages in the provision of public services, arising from their service. Recognising those who have risked everything for our freedom and safety in an increasingly dangerous world.
Cllr. Phil North
Leader of the Test Valley Borough Council
