Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jane Midgley, Dr Salvatore BarillàORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
In 2018 the English government signalled that food wastes were to be separately collected from all households and commercial premises; the policy objectives being to raise recycling rates and remove biodegradable wastes from landfill disposal while creating a consistent recycling offer across the country. The policy’s legislative enactment in 2021marked the end of decades of voluntary collection and recycling of food wastes from municipal waste for English local authorities. Different elements of this scheme would eventually roll out between spring 2025-27. Based on original research with English local authority waste managers and officers in summer 2024 and summer 2025 as they prepared to implement the scheme, we explore the challenges and uncertainties emerging from this policy process. These focus on the compliance and financial resourcing, and broader environmental and infrastructural concerns. The paper offers new insights into the challenges facing local authorities managing municipal food wastes.
Author(s): Midgley J, Young E, Barilla S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Year: 2026
Issue: ePub ahead of Print
Online publication date: 28/07/2026
Acceptance date: 19/06/2025
Date deposited: 23/06/2026
ISSN (print): 0964-0568
ISSN (electronic): 1360-0559
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2026.2693739
DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2026.2693739
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/qk5n-n760
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
