Bedford Borough residents recycled an impressive 11,774 tonnes of household waste from April 2025 to the end of March 2026, helping to reduce disposal costs and protect the local environment. This includes the introduction of glass bottles and jars collections from orange-lidded household recycling bins from 1 December, 2025.
The Council is now encouraging residents to take the next step by reducing the amount of waste they produce further, reusing more where possible, recycling everything they can, and making full use of the weekly food waste collection service introduced at the end of March, 2026.
The service has seen strong and growing participation, with more than 1,900 tonnes of food waste diverted from black bins in its first four months. Collections have increased steadily, with an average of 20.11 tonnes collected on each collection day in April, rising to 21.90 tonnes in May, 23.47 tonnes in June and remaining high at 22.17 tonnes in July.
Introducing the new service alongside changes to collection routes has not been without challenges. Heatwaves, staff shortages and crews adapting to new rounds have all had an impact, and Bedford Borough Council would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while improvements continue to be made.
Councillor Nicola Gribble, Portfolio Holder for Environment, said, "I would like to thank every resident who has helped us divert nearly 12,000 tonnes of household waste from black bins during the last year. That is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the positive difference we can make when we all recycle as much as possible.
"Our weekly food waste collection is already preventing thousands of tonnes of waste from ending up in black bins. If you have not started using the service yet, I would encourage you to give it a try. It is quick, easy to use and collected every week. By reducing waste, reusing what we can and recycling as much as possible, we can all help protect the environment while keeping costs down."
The Council is also reminding residents how to get the best from the food waste service. Please do not place your kitchen caddy inside your outdoor food waste bin. Instead, empty the contents of the kitchen caddy into the outdoor bin and present the outdoor food waste bin for collection at the same location as your other bins. Food waste liners can be used in the kitchen caddy before being tied and placed into the outdoor bin.
During warmer weather, maggots can be a common issue wherever food waste is stored, whether in a fortnightly black bin or a weekly food waste bin. To help reduce the risk, residents are encouraged to leave uncovered food out for as little time as possible. Other suggestions from residents include double-bagging food during hot weather and sprinkling a small amount of salt over food waste to help reduce moisture. The outdoor food waste bins have been designed to be much easier to clean than larger black bins, saving money and water.
For more tips on reducing waste, reusing items and recycling more, visit www.bedford.gov.uk/ReduceWaste