Food waste collection picks up more than 100 tonnes a week

Barnet Council’s Labour administration reintroduced the scheme in March this year reports reports Leïla Davaud

Barnet’s food waste collection service was cancelled in 2018 (credit Barnet Council)

Barnet’s dedicated food waste collection service sees more than 100 tonnes of waste every week, the council has said.

The weekly service was reintroduced by the council’s Labour administration in March 2026 after the service was axed as part of a cost-cutting programme in 2018 despite advice from the Mayor of London to retain the service. Back then, the council had said ending the scheme would save around £300,000 a year.

Once again, each home has been supplied with a brown kitchen caddy for collecting food waste indoors and a small brown outside food waste bin.

Alan Schneiderman, Labour’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “The Conservatives gave up on weekly food waste collection and lacked drive for the borough.”

He added: “We will always remain ambitious for Barnet, and want to improve the service residents get. That is why we were so proud to bring back weekly food waste collections, and they have been a real success, while keeping unwanted animals at bay.”

More than 100 tonnes of food waste has been collected every week since April 2026.

The council shared that since the service launched, there have been two million collections, with only 17 complaints of fox-related spillages reported in that time.

Collection crews are equipped to clear up any spillages spotted during their rounds, while the council’s street cleansing response team will attend to any incidents on public land reported by residents.

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