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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | Autumn 2025
Alternate weekly waste collections coming in February 2026
Lewes District Council is set to implement Alternate Weekly Collections (AWC) in February 2026 to increase the district's recycling rate.
Collection days will change for most residents and new collection calendars will be issued in January 2026 ahead of the changes.
The new system will see residual refuse (black sack waste) collected fortnightly, while recycling collections will also remain fortnightly, alternating with the refuse collection day.
Food waste collections will continue, along with weekly collections for non-infectious medical waste for those who register.
For concerns about pests, residents are reminded to put the food waste caddy handle all the way forward to ‘lock’ the lid shut.
To help get ready for the change, the following options are available:
The move to alternate weekly collections follows an engagement exercise which
indicated that many residents were happy to embrace a two-weekly refuse collection, provided the food waste service stayed weekly. Some 97% of the 2,150 respondents thought it was important or very important to recycle from home. Furthermore, 71% of respondents currently put out a refuse bin each week that is not full.
Read the FAQs and download the engagement report at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/AWC
What happens after we collect your food and garden waste?
Ever wondered what happens to your food or garden waste after we empty your bins? The this short video explains all
The Woodlands In-Vessel Composting Facility in Whitesmith can process up to 60,000 tonnes of biodegradable waste every year!
This is where all the garden waste across East Sussex ends up, as well as the food waste from Lewes district.
Sign-up for free food waste collections
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle advice drop-in sessions
If you have any questions about waste reduction, reuse or recycling, please drop-in to any of the following sessions with to speak to Neil Peters, our Community and Recycling Engagement Officer.
You can also pick up free food waste caddies and liners!
Where: Lewes Climate Hub, 32 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2LU).
When: The first Thursday of the month from 12pm-2pm
When: Every other Thursday from
Next sessions:
- Thursday 6 November 2025
- Thursday 4 December 2025
- Thursday 5 February 2026
Where: Welcome Cafe, Peacehaven Town Council, Community House, Meridian Centre, Meridian Way, Peacehaven, BN10 8BB.
When: Every other Monday from 10am to 1pm
Next sessions:
- Monday 3 November 2025
- Monday 17 November 2025
- Monday 1 December 2025
- Monday 15 December 202
Winter break for garden waste collections
Our garden waste collection service will take a short winter break from Monday, December 22, 2025, to Friday, January 16, 2026.
This pause helps the teams focus on refuse, recycling and food waste collections at a time where we see more of this waste and a significant drop in garden waste.
We’ll share renewal details for 2026-27 in January.
Maximising your household recycling: Get up to date with our A-Z guide
To help you recycle with confidence, we’ve created an easy-to-use resource: the A–Z of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
This guide gives you clear, up-to-date information on what can go in your household recycling bin. It’s the quickest way to check what’s accepted, and discover new items you might not have realised can be recycled.
Recycling rules are evolving, and the A-Z is updated regularly to reflect these changes. For example, many types of plastic packaging are now accepted, as long as they’re clean and empty including:
- bread bags
- delivery bags
- frozen food bags
- multi-pack wrapping
- plastic carrier bags
- toilet roll wrapping
- and salad, pasta, and rice bags.
Even better, items like toothpaste tubes, which weren’t accepted before, can now go in your household recycling bin.
And with Simpler Recycling Rules coming in April 2026, there’s more good news on the way!
Bin etiquette: be kind to your community
On your collection day, your bin should be presented kerbside by 6am. Once emptied, please return the bin back inside your property boundary as soon as possible so that it does not cause a pavement obstruction.
This helps keep pathways safe and accessible to everyone in the community.
And finally...Don't forget to recycle your pumpkin food waste!
Pumpkins are a much-loved part of the spooky season, however, the question of what to do with the pumpkin once Halloween is over is one to consider.
There are alternatives to just throwing it away. Pumpkins are high in vitamin A and C and it’s not just pumpkin pie which can be made with the leftovers this autumn. You can make a hearty soup, pasta bake or risotto, or tasty muffins, as an afternoon treat. Additionally, the seeds can be roasted for a tasty snack.
Take a look at these delicious ways to eat your Halloween pumpkins from our friends at Love Food Hate Waste.
Remember to pop any bits you can’t eat in your food waste caddie: sign-up for free food waste collections
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