March 2026

Report by Patricia Prado, Emily Rainsford, Diogo Souza Monteiro and Stephanie Wilkie

Under the Environment Act 2021, English local authorities are required to implement separate household food waste collections by 31 March 2026. In preparation for this development, in September 2024 Newcastle City Council launched a kerbside food waste collection pilot scheme in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne.

In partnership with knowledge brokerage unit Insights North East and academic teams from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, Newcastle City Council has worked to collect and analyse data to understand residents’ engagement with the food waste pilot. Phase 1 of this project looked at participation and survey data (Insights North East, 2025). Phase 2, which is the focus of this report, sets out to deepen our understanding of residents’ behaviour, engagement and communication needs.

To achieve this, Phase 2 consisted of:

• A rapid review of academic and grey literature on behavioural change, communication and waste engagement; and
• A series of community workshops capturing lived experience, barriers, motivations and co designed solutions.

The report outlines one overarching conclusion: that successful food waste collection depends as much on trust, clarity and sustained engagement as it does on infrastructure and legislation. Read the full report here.