Nottingham City Council’s waste strategy is set to be reviewed amid major national reforms and mounting local financial pressures, with councillors due to consider early-stage work on options for redesigning collection services.
A report to the People, Communities and Environment Scrutiny Committee on 4 March 2026 outlines the initial phase of work to develop a new Waste Strategy and seeks early input from members before formal proposals are brought forward.
The council adopted its current Municipal Resources and Waste Strategy in March 2023, setting out a long-term framework for waste reduction, recycling and sustainable resource management through to 2050. Since then, both national policy requirements and local operating conditions have changed significantly.
In particular, the Government’s “Simpler Recycling” reforms, introduced under the Environment Act 2021, require all local authorities in England to introduce weekly separate food waste collections and ensure greater consistency in recycling services. The report describes these reforms as the most substantial change to Nottingham’s waste collection services in more than a decade, with implications for fleet procurement, depot capacity, workforce planning and treatment contracts.
• Small electrical items for recycling can be left on top of blue bins in Rushcliffe
While the report does not set out detailed cost figures at this stage, it makes clear that the scale of change carries significant financial implications. Inflation, supply-chain pressures, rising disposal costs and longer lead times for specialist vehicles are all identified as factors adding complexity and financial risk to any service redesign. Decisions on new vehicles, infrastructure and contractual arrangements are likely to require substantial capital investment, as well as ongoing revenue commitments, although updated modelling is described as indicative and not yet representing final budgets.
The report also highlights uncertainty linked to ongoing local government restructuring, including the possibility of future boundary changes and cross-authority harmonisation of services. This adds further complexity when considering long-term investment decisions.
To prepare for the reforms, the council is refreshing its waste strategy and re-examining collection models previously considered in 2022–23. These include two-stream and multi-stream recycling systems, alongside a “minimum-change” option, each with different implications for cost, carbon performance, operational deliverability and resident experience. Updated modelling has been undertaken to allow high-level comparison of these approaches, but no preferred option has yet been identified and no final decisions have been made.
For residents, the most visible change is likely to be the introduction of weekly separate food waste collections, along with potential adjustments to how recyclable materials are sorted and collected. For the council, the challenge lies in meeting new statutory requirements while managing financial pressures and maintaining service reliability.
Scrutiny members are being asked to comment on the early work and to consider whether further scrutiny is required, including identifying areas where additional evidence or analysis is needed before formal proposals are presented. The 4 March meeting represents an early stage in shaping the direction of future waste services, ahead of any detailed, costed proposals coming before councillors for approval.
