1, 2, 3... Go! How our new waste collection service will work for residents

- 08/09/2025

1, 2, 3... Go! How our new waste collection service will work for residents

Did you know that up to 40% of the refuse that the average household creates is food waste that can be recycled into energy and fertiliser to grow new crops? Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) is changing the way it collects household waste so that we can make these changes and become more sustainable.

We are changing our waste collection service from November. This is because the Government has legislated that as of March 2026, all councils must collect food waste separately and recycle it. This means that we will be changing our collection service to a 1, 2, 3 schedule: food waste will be picked up every week, from new bins that are being delivered across the district; recycling will be collected every fortnight; and general waste, which should be considerably less given the other changes will be picked up every three weeks.

MSDC will be the first council in West Sussex to roll out food waste recycling across the district, following a successful pilot of this scheme since July 2022. To begin with, 3,000 households were part of the trial, then this was extended to include a further 2,000 households in 2024.

Residents who took part in the trials fed back with very positive responses to the new programme: 87% declared their satisfaction with the service, which has seen more than 60% of waste recycled and a reduction of up to 2kg a week of general waste.
Following these trials, the Council is confident that by rolling out the scheme across the whole district there will be a significant long-term reduction in all forms of waste in Mid Sussex.

Collecting food waste demonstrates the Council’s commitment to supporting national improvements to recycling. Switching to a three-weekly cycle for general waste involves purchasing more collection vehicles, creating an additional waste depot, and providing food waste caddies for all households. These activities are being delivered by Mid Sussex District Council without funding support from central Government.
We appreciate that such a significant change can be disquieting, and we are aiming to make the move towards 1,2,3 as straightforward and seamless as possible for residents. All households in the district will receive new kitchen food waste caddies before November.

Residents will receive a wide variety of communication about the changes to waste collection, including on digital channels and direct notifications with leaflets, flyers, bin hangers, and other forms of communication.

Cllr Chris Hobbs, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Customer Service, said: “The initial trials have shown that Mid Sussex has embraced the opportunity to reduce waste, and as the full scheme rolls out in November, we’re confident that residents will benefit from these changes and help us achieve our recycling goals.

“As the first council in our region to embark on such a programme, we know that we can rely on our residents to accept these changes to their waste services”

Robin Mills, Serco Senior Contract Manager, said: “Following the successful pilot, we are delighted to be supporting MSDC as they expand 1-2-3 across the district. The introduction of food waste collections will create 31 new local jobs while enabling residents to recycle more.”

BACKGROUND
From November, collections will take place in a three-weekly repeating cycle following the schedule below: 

1. Every week, we’ll collect food waste in new green food waste bins.
2. Every other week, we’ll collect mixed recycling from existing blue-lidded wheelie bins.
3. Every three weeks we’ll collect general waste collection from existing black-lidded wheelie bins.

Whether residents live in a house or a flat, waste collection services are changing across the district. We will provide clear information about changes to residents' collection dates in due course, which will be announced on www.midsussex.gov.uk/123.

Households will receive two new bins for food waste, including a small, 5-litre caddy for use inside the home and a larger, 23-litre kerbside bin for outside that will be emptied during collection.  

If residents live in communal buildings, they will receive a small caddy for inside use. Communal buildings will also receive a large, 140-litre wheelie bin to go in their bin store for shared use.  

Collection crews will empty the food waste bins on a weekly basis for both general households and communal buildings. 

By following the new weekly food waste collection schedule and separating food waste correctly, residents will help reduce the amount of food waste in households and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a simple and effective way to actively contribute to a cleaner, greener Mid Sussex.