Barnet Council is set to reintroduce weekly food waste collections, a service that was scrapped by the previous Conservative administration in 2018. The decision was confirmed during a Council meeting held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Councillor Alan Schneiderman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, proposed a motion to welcome the reintroduction of the service, highlighting that food caddies are now being delivered to households across the borough. He stated that the reintroduction of this service, alongside other initiatives, demonstrates the current administration's commitment to improving the borough.
The motion noted that the previous administration eliminated the food waste collection service as a cost-saving measure, a decision that Councillor Peter Zinkin, Leader of the Conservative Group, claimed saved Barnet residents millions of pounds over the past seven years. However, Councillor Schneiderman believes that the reintroduction of weekly collections will help increase Barnet's recycling rate, as food waste constitutes nearly a quarter of average household bin contents. The council hopes this could lead to a four percent increase in the borough's recycling rate.
The collected food waste will be processed through anaerobic digestion to produce clean energy for electricity and heat for homes, as well as fertilizer for farmland. Environmentally friendly benefits aside, the council also anticipates cost savings, as disposing of food waste is significantly cheaper than residual waste. Councillor Schneiderman stated that the cost of disposing of food waste is much lower than the cost of disposing of residual waste. In fact, disposing of food waste costs only 17 pounds per tonne compared with 140 pounds per tonne for residual waste
.
Food caddies are currently being reintroduced to Barnet households, and the weekly separate food waste recycling service will be reintroduced in April. Councillor Schneiderman mentioned seeing hundreds of brown bins being delivered and the first collection vehicle has also now arrived
. The new bins feature lockable lids, designed to help prevent foxes or other wildlife from getting into them, and are similar to those used by the majority of councils across the country. A competition to name a food waste vehicle is also planned to mark the service's relaunch.
However, Councillor Zinkin criticised the move, referencing a past dispute with Mayor Khan over food waste targets. He stated that seven and a half years ago Barnet council clashed with Mayor Khan over our decision to withdraw separate food waste collection services
and that In 2018 the mayor set ambitious food waste and recycling targets not a single one has been met
. Councillor Zinkin also raised concerns about the bins being raided by foxes, similar to issues faced previously, and suggested that the new service would lead to filthier streets with fewer staff to clean them.
