Thank you for your question about the food waste recycling service.

The service has made a very strong start in Rother District Council. Since collections began in April 2026, residents have recycled more than 450 tonnes of food waste that would otherwise have been placed in general rubbish and sent for energy recovery through incineration.

To put that into perspective, 450 tonnes is roughly the same weight as around 35 double decker buses. It is a significant amount of material that has been diverted from the rubbish stream and recycled instead.

Food waste collected from Rother is taken to a composting facility in Whitesmith, East Sussex, where it is turned into a soil conditioner called Pro-Grow. The finished product can be used by local farms, in public green spaces and by gardeners to improve soil quality and support plant growth.

The service also brings practical benefits for residents. Around 30% of the average black household rubbish bin is made up of food waste. By separating food waste into the weekly food waste collection, households can free up space in their black bin and reduce the build-up of food waste that can cause unpleasant smells, particularly during warmer weather.

We would like to thank everyone who is already taking part. Recycling more than 450 tonnes of food waste in just a few months is a fantastic achievement and shows what Rother residents can accomplish when we all play our part. If you have not started using your food waste caddy yet, we would encourage you to give it a try. Every caddy presented for collection helps reduce waste, creates more space in the household rubbish bin and helps turn a material that would otherwise be thrown away into a useful product.