Observer column 27 November 2025

Cllr Jo Walker - lead councillor for environment and neighbourhood wellbeing

Households across Hastings will soon see a major and positive change to how we deal with food waste. From spring 2026, every home will receive a weekly food waste collection, helping us recycle more, reduce what goes to incineration and turn leftovers into something genuinely useful. All food waste collected will be processed in East Sussex and transformed into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner used in parks, gardens and on local farms.

To help celebrate this important step forward, primary schools across Hastings, Rother and Wealden have been invited to take part in a fun challenge to name our brand-new fleet of food waste trucks. Each class can submit one name, and once entries close on 30th November, the twenty best ideas will be shortlisted by the East Sussex Joint Waste Partnership. These names will then appear proudly on the sides of the new vehicles.

Once the shortlist of twenty names is announced, residents across the three districts will have the chance to choose their favourite in a public vote. The class behind the winning name will receive a special visit from the truck named after their idea, which will be a memorable photo opportunity and something the whole school community can be truly proud of.

Children have been learning about food waste through assemblies, classroom activities and creative projects designed to help them understand why the new service matters. Many schools have used lesson plans and activity sheets to spark conversations about reducing waste, the impact of food going to incineration and how composting benefits our environment. This has helped pupils think about food waste in a practical way before coming up with their creative name suggestions.

I have been delighted to see so many children getting involved with enthusiasm and imagination. Their ideas have not only given us a wonderful shortlist but have also helped raise awareness about why food waste matters and how these new collections will protect our environment. The names chosen will soon be decorating our trucks as they help deliver a service that reduces waste, cuts emissions and turns food scraps into something valuable for farming. I would encourage everyone to take part in the public vote once it opens and help us select a winning name for the very first Hastings food waste truck.

Food waste currently makes up around 30 per cent of the average household rubbish bin. By separating it out, residents will be helping to cut emissions, keep household bins cleaner and ensure unavoidable waste is put to good use. Every home will receive a kitchen caddy with compostable liners, as well as an outdoor food waste container with a lockable lid for weekly collections. Full details of collection days, instructions for using the caddies and further information about the service will be sent to households from early 2026.

More information about the introduction of food waste collections will be shared with residents in the coming months. Let’s put food waste in its place.