An extraordinary meeting of New Forest District Council was scheduled to take place to discuss a review of the new waste collection service phase 1 roll out, and a motion to suspend phases 2 and 3. Councillor John Sleep, Chairman of the Council called the meeting following a request from six councillors. The report pack included an officer report detailing a comprehensive overview of the project to launch the council's new waste and recycling service, and a motion relevant to the subject matter.

Waste Collection Service

The main item scheduled for discussion was the review of the new waste collection service, specifically the phase 1 roll out, and a motion to suspend phases 2 and 3.

The report pack included a motion raised by Councillor M Wade, and seconded by Councillor Millar, noting:

• Ongoing waste and recycling operational issues in Phase 1 areas, including missed collections, overflowing bins, interference from animals, confusion among residents, and the impact on NFDC officer time and staff morale.
• A partner meeting of 6 August 2025 involving the Verderers¹, Forestry England², the New Forest Association³, and the Commoners Defence Association⁴, which acknowledged these issues and agreed trial changes to bin placement.
• That trials to address these problems are only commencing in August, with a further partner review not until 27 August—just one day before this meeting.
• That updated projections for the cost of the Phase 2 and 3 rollout have not been published.
• That the Cabinet has continued to progress Phase 2 implementation despite these known issues, and before trials and risk assessments have concluded.

The motion stated that the council believes that waste removal is an essential service, and that an efficient and effective rollout of Phase 2 and 3 is essential to ensure that additional costs are avoided and disruption is minimised for residents and staff.

The report pack stated that the council was scheduled to consider resolving to suspend the implementation of Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the waste container rollout until:

• A full report is made to Council categorising the Phase 1 issues with clear mitigating actions identified and delivered.
• Results of the trials on bin placement and container security are available and reported to Full Council.
• An agreed operational policy for collection in open forest areas is in place and communicated appropriately with all relevant stakeholders.
• The council reviews its commercial waste policy with regard to camping and caravan sites where there is residential use alongside commercial use.
• Secure food waste container options have been identified and tested.
• A full risk assessment for Phase 2 and Phase 3 areas is completed and published.
• An improved communication and education service is implemented to support residents in the transition to the new service.

The report pack stated that the council was scheduled to consider resolving that bin placement in open forest areas should, where practicable, be inside property cattle grids pending the adoption of any secure container solution, to prevent animal access, and that monthly performance data be published on missed collections, animal interference incidents, complaint volumes and resolution rates, and customer service SLA compliance, for the duration of the Phase 2 and 3 rollout.

The report pack stated that the council was scheduled to consider resolving that the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jill Cleary, and Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, Councillor Geoffrey Blunden, report progress directly to Full Council before any further rollout stages proceed.

The report pack included a report providing a comprehensive overview of the project to launch the council's new waste service. It noted that New Forest District Council began a phased rollout of a new waste collection service for residents in June 2025 as part of a wider waste management strategy and programme. The strategy is designed to improve recycling rates, modernise collection services and meet statutory requirements set out in the Environment Act 2021⁵ which are due to come into force in 2026.

The key elements of the new service are:

• New weekly food waste collections with a 23-litre lockable kerbside caddy and a 7-litre kitchen caddy.
• Fortnightly recycling and rubbish collections using new 240 litre (recycling) and 180-litre (rubbish) wheelie bins

The report pack stated that the project proposed to rollout the service over three phases:

• Phase 1 (Lymington Depot area) commenced June 2025
• Phase 2 (Ringwood Depot area) commencing October 2025
• Phase 3 (Totton/Hardley Depot area) commencing March 2026

The report pack stated that a number of issues were cited by those Members who requested this extraordinary meeting, including missed collections, overflowing bins, interference from animals, confusion about collection points, impacts in phase 2 and 3 areas including call waiting times, and impact on NFDC staff.

The report pack stated that the new service has seen excellent take-up from residents in the first phase areas in terms of participation in food waste collections, with increasing tonnages being collected. It also stated that there have also been some key challenges with the rollout, resulting in some residents seeing significant disruption in service. A review of the phase 1 roll out was commissioned by the Waste Programme Board to implement learning for phases 2 and 3.

The report pack stated that a meeting was held on 6 August with representatives of key partners, leading to actions being taken including trials on selected roads in Brockenhurst and East Boldre, ongoing research into more secure food waste containers, and further data analysis on property quantities and locations affected by this issue.

The report pack stated that a delay to the service roll out is to be considered by Council, but that such a delay is not without risk and further complications. It noted that the government have set a deadline, mandated in the Environment Act 2021, of 31 March 2026 for the roll out of food waste to all domestic households, and that any delay to phase two or three beyond 31 March deadline will result in New Forest District Council being non-compliant with the legislation.

The report pack stated that funding of £2.3m has been provided to NFDC by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the implementation of food waste collections by the deadline of 31 March 2026.

The report pack stated that the container manufacturer has already delivered the phase two containers into the former Claymeadow depot in Totton.

The report pack stated that the council has entered into a contract with a contractor to provide container deliveries over all three phases, and that this contract would require amending to accommodate a new timeline.

The report pack stated that deliveries of sacks would have to continue for longer than planned in the phase 2 area, requiring additional vehicle and staff resource.

The report pack stated that Hampshire have put in place contractual arrangements for the transfer/disposal of food waste, and that it is not known if a delay would have any financial implications which may be passed back to NFDC.

The report pack stated that the council has already accepted the delivery of the new vehicle fleet for phase 2, and that long term storage will lead to the degradation of their condition.

The report pack stated that additional staff have been taken on for the duration of the project on a fixed term basis, and that there would be a cost for an additional 4 months for these staff to ensure their employment covers the revised roll-out period.

The report pack stated that feedback from residents has shown strong demand for the new system, and that any delay at this stage would risk undermining public confidence, generating unnecessary frustration and potentially leading to reputational damage.

The report pack stated that the new waste collection service supports Corporate Plan Priority 2: Protecting our climate, coast, and natural world by:

• Minimising non-recycled waste through the separate collection of food waste from households.
• Cutting vehicle emissions by using the Bartec system to design more efficient waste collection routes.
• Boosting recycling rates by introducing separate food waste collections and providing larger wheeled bins for recyclables.
• Reducing litter and spillages by replacing sacks with more secure and contained waste collection methods.

The report pack included a table summarising estimated costs associated with a delay in rollout:

The report pack stated that it has not yet been ascertained as to whether there would any requirement to repay any or all of the DEFRA transition grant, should the Council not meet the 31 March 2026 deadline.

The report pack stated that the Council is bound by legislation (Environment Act 2021) to rollout a separate food waste collection service by 31 March 2026, and that it is unclear what repercussions the government may impose through non-compliance, but any actions could come with severe financial and reputational risk.

The report pack stated that the key risks of delay to the rollout of phases 2 and 3 could be summarised as legal, financial, deliverability, and strategy delivery delay.

Other Items

The agenda included an item for declarations of interest, where members could declare any relevant interests related to the items on the agenda. There was also an item for any other urgent items that the Chairman decides to bring before the council.