Ealing Council has confirmed it is not among more than 75 local authorities expected to miss the government’s deadline to introduce weekly household food waste collections, after a BBC investigation found almost a quarter of English councils were behind schedule.
Under the Simpler Recycling reforms, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says every household in England should receive a weekly food waste collection from 31 March 2026. Councils told the BBC they faced delays securing specialist vehicles and concerns about the cost of expanding services.
Ealing Council said its scheme is already well established, having run for 20 years since its introduction in 2006, and the council is now extending collections to remaining eligible properties, including blocks of flats and flats above shops.
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “Ealing borough was an early adopter of a food recycling collections and it is now a long-established service after being introduced in 2006.
“Most households in the borough receive a food waste collection service. We are continuing to roll out food waste recycling services to blocks of flats and are also surveying flats above shops to identify the most suitable collection methods, in line with the national Simpler Recycling requirements.
“We are working at pace to extend the service to all remaining eligible properties so everyone can recycle their food waste.”
