Food waste collections start from 8 December in Aldrington, Hangleton, Mile Oak, Portslade, and West Hove.
This latest phase will bring the number of households with food waste collections to 73,000.
We’ve delivered starter packs to households, and residents in these areas can look up their new food waste collection day on our website.
Food waste collections have shown steady growth since they started in the east of the city in September, with phase 2 coming on stream in October.
Weekly tonnage increased from 6 tonnes in the first week to 230 tonnes of food waste having been collected across both areas by the end of November – that’s 3,833 full wheelie bins worth diverted from waste for recycling.
After collection, the food waste is turned into compost and soil improver to help grow more food.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet member for Net Zero and Environmental Services, said: “I’m delighted to see phase 3 of food waste collections starting, giving residents in the west of the city the opportunity to easily recycle food waste which currently makes up more than a third of the waste found in household bins.
“The take-up of the scheme so far has been amazing, exceeding all expectations, and I want to thank residents in the east and north of the city for taking part – together they have helped divert 21 fully-laden refuse trucks from waste to be recycled and re-used as soil improver to grow more food.
“We’re already preparing for the fourth, final and biggest phase of food waste collections. These will cover the central areas of Brighton and Hove and complete food waste collections for the whole of the city by March 2026.”
From 8 December, residents in the west of the city can put all cooked and uncooked food waste in their caddies, instead of the waste bin. This includes unpackaged bread, pasta and rice, fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and bones, dairy, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Starter packs to households include compostable liners – if lining caddies, only these must be used, rather than plastic bags as plastic cannot be composted.
The advice is to leave out caddies on the edge of properties where crews can easily see them. Place the handle upright to keep the lid secure. Some blocks of flats will have access to a shared food waste bin instead of individual outdoor caddies.
Food waste should be put out for collection either the night before or by 5am on collection day. Crews will be out collecting between 5am and 10pm.
Find out more about food waste collections on our website. Here you can also order a replacement caddy and report a missed collection.
The council is investing £1.2 million in this new weekly food waste service so all households, whether in a flat, kerbside or communal area, will be able to recycle their food waste by March 2026.
The final phase will cover 76,000 households in the central and communal on-street bin areas of Queen’s Park, Hanover, Kemptown, Whitehawk, Central Brighton, Seven Dials, Round Hill and Central Hove.
Meli Stanley, Food Use Places Project Manager, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, said: “The new food waste collection service is shining a light on how much food we throw away at home. More than half of the food thrown away in the UK comes from our own kitchens, and it’s often the basics we throw away most, like bread, potatoes, bananas, milk and salad.
"As part of the Food Use Places project, community groups across Brighton & Hove are championing a Food Use Mindset. We’re flipping the way we think about food waste, focusing on food use. Through simple hacks, like turning leftovers into a new meal and planning our shops around meals, we’re wasting less, eating better, saving money, and doing our bit for the planet.”
Get tips for reducing food waste
Developing a circular economy, expanding the materials we collect, making recycling easier and working with residents to re-use resources and reduce waste, are key objectives of our Council Plan, and our goal to create an accessible, clean and sustainable city.
Brighton & Hove’s new food waste collections service has been supported by a grant from the UK Government.
Following improvements to the service and the expansion of recycling, the council is exploring the possibility of a move to fortnightly kerbside waste collections.
Residents can now check and track their recycling, refuse, garden waste and food waste collections in real time on the council's website.
The first food waste collection service for the city starts next week in Saltdean, Rottingdean, Ovingdean, Woodingdean and Brighton Marina.