Cabinet is set to approve the phased roll out of weekly food waste collections across the whole borough from November following a successful trial in five neighbourhoods. 

A proposal to begin borough-wide food waste collections, run by a private company on behalf of the council, will be discussed by the Cabinet at their meeting on 17 March. 

The proposal includes a phased roll out of the food waste collection scheme from November 2025 with all households in the borough – including flats – having food waste collected separately and recycled by 31 March 2026. 

A trial of the scheme has been running in five areas of the borough since July last year with each household receiving a small indoor food waste caddy and a larger outdoor caddy, collected weekly on the same day as their normal bins. 

Flats have not been part of the trial, but the proposal includes each flat receiving a small indoor caddy and a larger communal outdoor caddy, again collected weekly on the same day as the normal bins. 

Unlike some other collection programmes, no special bags are currently required for Slough’s caddies, any small bin bag, shopping bag or even bread bags and similar can be used in both the indoor caddies and be sealed and put in the outdoor ones as well. 

Both indoor and outdoor caddies will be sealable with special locks to prevent pests and smells. 

Councillor Gurcharan S Manku, lead member for Environment, Environmental Services and Open Spaces, said: “Since the beginning of the trial in the five areas, other parts of the town have been asking to also have the food waste collection service.

“The decision we are being asked to make at cabinet is the next step in making sure all areas of the borough have access to this scheme which takes leftovers of all sorts and turns it into energy; saving money and helping the environment. 

“I will be recommending this plan to the Cabinet, and I would urge residents to keep an eye out for more information on when the scheme will be starting in their area, how to take part and what to put in their caddies from the autumn.”

The proposal also includes funding for two new recycling coordinators to help promote, run projects and encourage greater recycling across Slough, which traditionally has lower recycling rates than other areas.

Currently Slough only recycles 25 percent of its waste, in comparison to 45 percent across the southeast and 44 percent nationally. 

The current weekly food waste collection trial started in five areas in June 2024:

It involved 5,100 properties who were each provided with a 23-litre outside food waste caddy and a 5-litre indoor caddy.

The food waste is transported to Trumps Farm in Chertsey, West London for anaerobic digestion and is recycled into fertiliser whilst the digestion creates energy directly.

Since the trial began more than 166 tonnes of food waste have been collected; more than half a tonne a day.

It has been promoted using cartoon Kit the Caddy, a friendly character who loves the taste of food waste, who will also be used now to promote the scheme as it rolls out.

Each tonne of food waste costs the council £10 to dispose of. In the grey bins, the same amount of waste costs £112 to dispose of. 

Councillor Manku added: “By recycling more, wasting less and now with the opportunity to put our food waste to good use, we can save money, create green energy and help the environment. 

“I am looking forward to getting my caddies later this year and making sure all my food waste gets recycled.”