South Kesteven District Council approved a £542,195 budget for the 2025/26 financial year to pay for the roll-out of the weekly food waste collection service – but will not get all of that money back from the Government. At a meeting on September 18, it also approved an increase to the ‘vehicle replacement capital budget’ of £171,850 from the same reserve to fund the food waste collection vehicles and caddies. This is separate to the changes to the existing waste collection rounds, which came into force earlier this week. Coun Rhys Baker (independent), cabinet member for environment and waste at the district council, said: “The waste collection authority at the district council doesn’t have the ability to decide on how the waste is disposed of. If we’re going to have a mandatory service that we have to deliver, surely it should be funded.”The new service will be rolled-out in April 2026.