Food waste recycling is being rolled out to almost 12,700 additional homes across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire from next week (Monday 24 August).

The households, stretching from Bar Hill to Trumpington and across many other communities, bring the total number of homes receiving the service to more than 60,500.

Since its launch, the service has collected more than 2,800 tonnes of food waste which is being used to generate power and create biofertilizer.

This is the third wave of collections being rolled out by the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSW).

The Government’s introduction of Simpler Recycling legislation makes weekly collection of household food waste mandatory for all local authorities. GCSWS began deliveries of new silver pest-proof caddies in January 2026.

Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Environment at Cambridge City Council, Cllr Rosy Moore, said: “We’ve seen a really positive response to the new service, with most households using it every week. In particular, the scheme is working very well at flats, most of which have not had any way to recycle food waste before. I’m pleased those residents will now have more ways to make a difference through recycling.”

The collected food waste is taken to Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants at Baldock. March and Thetford, where the biogas given off by the decomposing food is captured and used to generate power. When fully broken down the food becomes biofertilizer which can be spread on farmland. This process both reduces demand for oil and gas through providing a renewable alternative fuel while also reducing impact on the climate crisis by preventing the release of landfill gases including methane into the atmosphere.

Lead Cabinet Member for the Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, said: “You might think that you don’t create any food waste, but even things like teabags, banana peel and onion skins can be included, and it all adds up! In fact, recycling food waste is one of the most impactful actions you can do at home – one full caddy could power a TV for 2 hours.”

• Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service is recruiting HGV drivers and loaders to work on the collection rounds. Find out more at www.greatercambridgewaste.org
• If your street already has food waste collections, the waste service would like to hear your feedback. Find out more or fill in the feedback survey at www.greatercambridgewaste.org/foodwaste
• All households in Greater Cambridge are due to have weekly food waste collections by the end of 2026.