Food waste collection or community composting? The truth is we need both

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Brighton & Hove Food Partnership

Brighton & Hove City Council Cabinet will meet on 15^th May to consider proposals to increase recycling and introduce of food waste collections. We welcome this, as will the many residents across our city who want an alternative to throwing away their food scraps.

But while a positive step, food waste collection alone won’t meet the city’s 2030 carbon neutral targets for emissions, biodiversity, and climate adaptation. We need this to be part of a strategic approach.

Working with communities to reduce avoidable food waste

Help for residents to prioritise reduction and reuse while promoting home and local composting is a priority in our recently refreshed food strategy action plan. We were pleased to see a commitment to minimise waste has been put upfront in the Council’s report too. We need action that matches the scale of the problem at hand.

The report shows 16,225 tonnes of avoidable food waste each year is going in the bin. This staggering number ignores inedible waste like bones or peelings, so entirely represents food that could have been eaten, 51% of which was found to still be in its packaging. This is a waste of all of the resources that went into making this food, as well as the impacts of transporting it to be disposed of, not to mention the packaging.

We need the introduction of this food waste collection service to be accompanied by support to change residents’ habits. Our 13 community partners in the Food Use Places project have a track record of supporting behaviour change in their local areas. They would welcome the chance to work with BHCC in reaching residents with messages about the new services.

A circular approach to making living soil

Any approach to food waste needs to recognise that living soil is crucial for life. It cleans water, prevents floods, grows food and more. Soil is the second-largest carbon sink after the ocean, so soil degradation is an urgent part of the climate crisis. One way to respond is to replenish soil ecosystems by making living compost.

Brighton & Hove has been behind the curve on co-ordinated food waste collection, but we can lead the way with Compost Your City – a city-wide and systematic approach to using our unavoidable food waste to make our own compost.

This concept favours the most localised solution, be that composting at home, in communities, at school or via the BHCC collection service. And because not all compost is created equal, it prioritises making compost with processes that achieve a richer soil health.

The case for community composting alongside waste collection

Local people have already found a use for their unavoidable food waste. Over 10 years ago, a group of volunteer gardeners began a composting group with our support. From these beginnings and with the long-standing support of BHCC our Community Composting Scheme now engages more than 1,400 households across 56 volunteer-run sites. We are grateful that the funding for the Food Partnership to operate this project has been extended for a year.

Community Composting is a low-cost, high-impact local model which diverts 196 tonnes of food waste in Brighton and Hove each year. Those volunteering to run the schemes have said they would continue even if there is a food waste collection service.

 “The soil is so good we have to dilute it. I love knowing it’s handmade and seeing the impact in our local park. Even with council collections, I’ll keep using this—it’s personal, local, and keeps food waste useful” 

The added bonuses of community composting include:

• Creating value from waste: Our schemes produce nutrient-rich, living compost to be used in local parks and gardens. Unlike industrial compost, it is full of the tiny microbes needed to support biodiversity and retains moisture. We’ve had it professionally tested and it is powerful stuff!
• Minimising emissions: Waste does not travel via vehicles and is processed in resident’s communities. Sustainable materials like recycled local wood are used to make the compost bins.
• Strengthening communities and skills: This is hands-on climate action which helps residents build confidence, meet neighbours, gain practical skills, reduce isolation and spark local initiatives, creativity, and even career paths.

 “As someone in a flat, it gets me outside, connects me to nature, and gives me purpose. I’ve met neighbours and joined local events I’d never have known about otherwise” 

But demand far exceeds supply: 566 residents are currently on our waiting list plus we have a list of schools and community venues keen to get involved. With capital support (approx £1200 per new scheme of 30 households), we could expand access, especially in underserved areas (see map of locations)

We also need BHCC’s permission to locate schemes in parks, on highways land and housing estates (we undertake local engagement work first).

As the council invests £1.2m in statutory food waste collections, we also ask for commitment to the complementary value of community composting – amplifying climate action, strengthening communities, and delivering visible, local benefits.

The scheme is a Brighton & Hove success story and we look forward to growing it together.