Dudley residents are receiving new bins as the council enforces mandatory changes to domestic waste collection. Starting in April, local authorities are legally required to collect food waste alongside other recyclable materials.
In the first phase of the rollout, Dudley Council is distributing 80,000 food waste caddies to households. Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, emphasized the council’s commitment to boosting recycling rates and simplifying the process for residents.
By the end of March, every household will have received a set of containers: food waste caddies and a blue wheelie bin designated for mixed recycling items such as cans, plastics, glass, and cartons. Beginning in early April, the blue bins will be collected every two weeks, alongside the existing blue bags used for paper and card recycling.
General non-recyclable waste will continue to be collected fortnightly in black bins under the new system. Each household will receive two food waste caddies — a smaller kitchen caddy with liners that can be emptied into a larger outdoor caddy. The larger caddies will then be collected weekly and transported to a recycling plant where the food waste will be converted into renewable energy fuel.
At this stage, households with communal waste and shared bins will not experience changes; the new service will be introduced to them at a later date.
Government funding has supported the rollout amid concerns that private companies may attempt to take control of waste collection services. The Local Government Association (LGA), representing councils across England and Wales, highlights that the packaging industry — now responsible for the cost of waste packaging disposal — is lobbying to manage doorstep collection to reduce expenses.
While the private sector claims it can introduce greater efficiency and cost savings, councils warn this approach risks oversimplifying services, prioritizing profit over community needs. Cllr Arooj Shah, LGA environment spokesperson, stressed the importance of keeping decision-making in local hands: “Collections and services must remain community-led, not controlled by producers focused solely on profit.”