The Lincolnshire Waste Partnership met on Thursday, 2 October 2025, to discuss progress on food waste collection implementation, review performance data, and plan future activities. Key decisions included noting the progress of the food waste rollout and supporting the associated communications programme, and updating the partnership's forward plan.

Food Waste Update

The partnership received an update on the progress of implementing segregated food waste collections across Lincolnshire, a key requirement of the Environment Act 2021. The project group has secured £9.6 million in capital funding for infrastructure modifications, including waste transfer stations, and has contracted with BioteCH4 for disposal capacity at their anaerobic digestion facilities. A consistent approach to caddy sizes and colours has been agreed upon, with residents to receive a 5-litre grey indoor caddy and a 23-litre black outdoor caddy with an orange lid. A joint procurement exercise for these caddies has ensured economies of scale.

A strategic communications plan is being developed to ensure a unified message across Lincolnshire, supported by a £8,000 budget per authority, funded through New Burdens Transitional Funding. Lincolnshire County Council will match-fund this. Infrastructure modifications are underway at several waste transfer stations, including Grantham and Boston, with further upgrades planned. The roadmap for project delivery indicates that West Lindsey, City of Lincoln, North Kesteven, and South Kesteven District Councils are scheduled to go live with collections in March/April 2026, followed by East Lindsey, Boston Borough, South Holland, and South Kesteven District Councils in October 2026. The partnership resolved to note the progress and continue supporting the implementation of segregated food waste collection and disposal.

Performance Update

The meeting reviewed the performance of waste management across Lincolnshire for Quarter 1 of 2025/26. While the quantity of green waste received has decreased compared to the previous year, contributing to a slight reduction in the overall recycling rate, the quality of dry recyclables has improved. Non-recyclable waste has also seen a slight decrease. The partnership continues to avoid landfill, with only a tiny fraction of waste being sent there.

Key performance indicators show a reduction in household waste kilograms per household, with projections indicating a continued downward trend. The recycling rate for Q1 was 45.06%, with an end-of-year forecast of 39.7%. The implementation of food waste collections is expected to increase the recycling rate by at least 7% in the following year. The quality of recyclables has improved, with contamination rates falling, partly due to the Right Thing, Right Bin campaign and the rollout of twin-stream collections. The partnership noted the charts and commentary provided in the performance update.

Lincolnshire Waste Partnership Forward Plan

The Lincolnshire Waste Partnership considered its forward plan for 2025-26. Several items were suggested for future consideration, including a review of the use of Bourne Household Waste Recycling Centre and customer waiting times, and a review of the booking system for recycling centres. It was also suggested that the results of the upcoming resident consultation on Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) sites be brought to a future partnership meeting. A review of the Communications Plan was proposed for the February 2026 meeting, prior to the first food waste collection go-live dates. The partnership resolved to update the forward plan with these suggestions.

The meeting also included partner updates from various district councils, highlighting local initiatives and preparations for upcoming changes in waste collection services. These updates covered areas such as AI trials for contamination assessment, mobilisation plans for food waste collections, vehicle procurements, route restructures, and the success of waste teams in award ceremonies.