A borough-wide push to change how Swindon deals with food waste is about to reach its final stage, with collections for flats set to be fully rolled out ahead of schedule.
Swindon Borough Council says all 11,000 flats in the town will be covered by the new service by next week, bringing them in line with national requirements and closing a gap that has proved tricky for many councils to bridge.
Food waste collections first arrived for most households back in 2024, but extending the scheme to flats—particularly larger blocks—has taken more time. A pilot involving around 500 properties was used to test the logistics, from bin storage to collection points, before expanding further.
By the council’s own measure, the results have been worth the effort.
Since the scheme began, more than £1.45 million in potential disposal costs has been avoided, with over £1 million of that saved in the past year alone. The sums are not abstract: less food waste going into general rubbish means less being sent for incineration, which in turn reduces both cost and environmental impact.
Instead, what’s collected is transported to Codford Biogas, where it’s processed through anaerobic digestion. The end products—fertiliser and biogas—are put to use locally, feeding back into farms and energy supply rather than going up in smoke.
Councillor Chris Watts, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, has credited both council staff and residents for getting the scheme to this point. Rolling out collections to flats is often where recycling plans stall, but Swindon appears to have moved more quickly than many.
The message now is less about launching the service and more about using it.
Despite the progress, a significant amount of food waste still ends up in general bins. Each tonne diverted into recycling saves more than £140, according to council figures—money that ultimately comes back to local taxpayers.
Residents are being reminded that the system is designed to be straightforward: all food waste can go in, from peelings and leftovers to meat, dairy and bread. Caddies are available on request, and guidance is in place for those unsure what goes where.
It’s not the most glamorous of council initiatives, but it’s one that touches nearly every household. And, as the figures suggest, small weekly habits—scraping a plate into a caddy rather than a bin—can add up to something far more significant over time.
