Eastbourne on track for best recycling year yet following start of food waste collection service

As Recycle Week 2026 approaches (September 14-20), Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) is highlighting the positive difference residents are making through their everyday recycling choices.

Latest provisional figures indicate Eastbourne's recycling rate is expected to rise to 37.6% for the year to March 2026, up from 36.9% in 2024/25, with further improvements anticipated this financial year, from April, when the food waste collections started for houses and some flats in the town.

Since the launch of the service, collection crews have been gathering around 40 tonnes (40,000kg) of food waste each week that would previously have been placed in black household waste bins.

This will be bolstered as more people living in flats are able to join the scheme in the coming weeks.

Recycle Week, organised by Recycle Now, is the nation's biggest annual celebration of recycling.

Councillor Colin Swansborough, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, Staff and Performance, Enterprise, said: “Recycle Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the efforts being made by residents across Eastbourne.

“Every recycling bin and food waste caddy emptied is helping us reduce waste, cut carbon emissions and make better use of valuable resources.

“We're delighted that Eastbourne is on track for its strongest recycling performance yet. The introduction of food waste recycling has made a real difference, and I'd like to thank residents for embracing the service and playing their part.”

For most residents, food waste collections take place weekly on the same day as their refuse and recycling collections, but at a different time of day. For more details visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/foodwaste.

Cllr Swansborough added: "One of the most important messages during Recycle Week is to recycle the right items in the right way. When everyone does their bit, we can recycle more material, reduce contamination and ensure valuable resources stay in use for longer.

"If residents are ever unsure whether an item can be recycled, there are plenty of tools available to help check before it goes in the bin."

Residents can find out what can and cannot be recycled by using Recycle Now's recycling locator at www.recyclenow.com/recycling-locator or by visiting the council's A-Z of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle guide at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/wasteAtoZ.