Food waste is here, for our members that did not already provide the service. For those of you that have or are maybe just about to start I hope its going well for you all.
It has felt like a long wait since the Resources and Waste Strategy for England was published in December 2018 and Simpler Recycling guidance in March 2025 and we still have some elements to come with plastic film due in March 2027.
A lot of work has been undertaken by our teams over the past few years to get to this point and before that an awful lot of work took place to respond to the numerous consultations that took place. Many meetings took place with DEFRA in which Cathy Cook put forward the local authority voice on our behalf. I think we should be very proud of what we have achieved.
Working in the public sector is rarely easy, particularly when public opinion can be very vocal on social media. It can be hard to cut through criticism and posts intentionally designed to provoke anger or outrage around these changes. Often, those posts ignore the positive aspects of reducing waste and instead use it as a platform to complain. What has been encouraging to see, however, is residents countering those arguments, sharing how well similar systems have worked elsewhere and saying that it’s about time these changes came to their area.
Moving away from food waste since my last blog I had some time away in Florence, what a beautiful city it is and if you are thinking of visiting, I would advise you to book it.
Closer to home, West Sussex County Council had the opportunity to support Material Focus on Good Morning Britain talking about fires from discarded vapes. Niamh McBride did an outstanding job despite having to arrive at the site for 5am for a number of live interviews. We both then had the opportunity to record a piece for ITV Meridian, the local Southeast channel to go out that evening.
After ringing my Mum to make sure she was watching, and my wife telling all her work colleagues (who were glued to the TV) it was pushed to Monday instead. I settled down with my family to watch and hoped it was not a Gavin and Stacy five-word interview like poor Mick. In the end it did not run I have to admit I was gutted and arrived in the office early Tuesday morning feeling deflated.
My mood quickly changed when someone messaged to say it had been on the news at 06:30, complete with a screengrab. Checking the webpage, I found the full story and interview online. Watch the clip here. Even better, it ran throughout the day, and I also appeared on the 6pm news as well. I won’t let this newfound celebrity status go to my head.
