The expansion means that nearly two-thirds of homes served by the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS) will now receive the weekly food waste collection. Since its launch, the service has collected over 2,300 tonnes of food waste, which is being processed to generate power and create biofertiliser. The electricity produced is largely fed into the National Grid, with the remainder powering the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant.
The amount of food waste collected so far is enough to boil three million kettles. The collected waste is transported to AD plants in Baldock, March, and Thetford, where biogas is captured to generate power. The resulting biofertiliser is spread on farmland, providing a renewable alternative fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfill.
Cllr Rosy Moore, Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Environment at Cambridge City Council, commented on the positive resident uptake, stating, "It's been fantastic to see residents embracing the new food waste service. The more food waste we can recycle, the more we can cut carbon emissions and turn waste into a valuable resource." She added that the sale of energy and fertiliser products offsets processing costs, making it the most cost-effective option.
Cllr Laurence Damary-Homan, Lead Cabinet Member for the Environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, highlighted the environmental benefits, saying, “Food waste recycling is one of the simplest and most effective things we can all do for the environment. All those leftover scraps soon add up and can be turned into renewable energy and fertiliser rather than going into landfill."
This initiative supports the Government’s Simpler Recycling legislation, which mandates weekly household food waste collections. GCSWS began delivering new silver pest-proof caddies in January 2026. All households in Greater Cambridge are expected to have weekly food waste collections by the end of 2026.
Residents with existing food waste collections are encouraged to provide feedback via the GCSWS website.
