The Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council met on 1 September 2025 to discuss the food waste collection pilot scheme, updates on various traffic management schemes, and the walk to school scheme. The committee was also scheduled to review and amend the work programme for 2025/26.

Food Waste Collection Pilot Scheme

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the food waste collection pilot scheme. The pilot, which began in late April 2025, includes over 9,205 households across nine wards. It is intended to prepare the council for the mandatory borough-wide rollout of weekly food waste collections by June 2026, as required by the Environment Act 2021¹.

According to the report pack, early indications suggested that the pilot was achieving its initial financial goals, with the council reporting savings on waste disposal costs. The report pack also stated that a formal public report containing key performance indicators such as collection tonnages, resident participation rates, and contamination levels had not yet been released.

A survey of residents in the pilot area who had signed up to the council's Customer Portal and agreed to be contacted was conducted, and over 450 survey results were received.

A communications campaign was launched to inform residents about the pilot scheme. This included leaflets, emails, and social media posts. According to the report pack, the social media campaign included targeted adverts on Meta² and FoneMedia, as well as a TikTok video that received over 21,000 views in the first 24 hours.

The report pack noted that the themes of comments from residents on social media changed after the food waste collections began, with residents becoming more concerned about replacing bin liners and why their bins had not been collected.

The report pack stated that the separate collections are saving the council over £1,000 per week in disposal costs, with the food waste tonnage hovering around 12 tonnes per week being collected.

The report pack also noted that questions had been raised about the pilot areas predominantly covering more affluent areas of the borough. In response, the council stated that the pilot locations were chosen partly for their logistical suitability and variation across a number of demographic areas and housing types.

The report pack stated that the key objective of the pilot phase is to continue to learn lessons and iron out any problems before the service is extended to all households in Blackburn with Darwen.

Traffic Management Schemes and Walk to School Scheme

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on various traffic management schemes and the Walk to School Scheme.

The Walk to School Scheme aims to reduce problems associated with parking around schools and improve the safety of children by implementing speed restrictions around schools.

Work Programme 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to discuss and amend the Work Programme for 2025/26.