Governing food waste: exploring the introduction of mandatory separate food waste collections and recycling by local authorities in England

In 2018, the English government signalled that food wastes (FWs) 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 2021 marked the end of decades of voluntary collection and recycling of FWs from municipal waste for English local authorities. Different elements of this scheme would eventually roll out between spring 2025–2027. 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 article offers new insights into the challenges facing local authorities managing municipal FWs.