Central areas with communal bins will be the last to have food waste collections in Brighton and Hove, councillors have been told.

Labour councillor Emma Daniel, who represents Central Hove, raised the issue at the cabinet meeting yesterday (Thursday 15 May), saying that she had heard people were concerned that they would not be included.

Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, the council’s cabinet member for net zero and the environment, said that food waste collections would be introduced in four phases. More details about the first and second phases would be announced next month.

Currently, the council plans to start the new service for 11,000 homes in the east of the city from September before extending it to a further 29,000 homes in the north of the city from October.

From November, 31,000 households in the west of the city should start receiving food waste collections, Councillor Rowkins said.

Finally, the 67,000 homes in the centre of Brighton and Hove and those with communal bins would receive the service from March next year.

By the end of March next year, all councils will be expected to have weekly food waste recycling services – a requirement brought in by the Environment Act 2021.

Councillor Rowkins said that the council was following a phased approach to make sure that the environmental services team, known until recently as Cityclean, “learn as they go and get it right”.

Councillor Daniel said: “The feedback I get from areas with communal bins is they feared they might miss out because they want to participate, they want a low-waste economy, they are enthusiastic, but they were worried it wouldn’t work in communal (bin) areas.

“Other people in communal areas are asking, if it is brought into our area and then people abuse it, tip other things, don’t do it properly and it gets contaminated, what assurances can these people have?”

All the new food waste vehicles will have jet-washing units, Councillor Rowkins said, to clear up any mess daily in the case of communal bins.

Councillor Rowkins said: “The central areas are the most difficult to plan for, which is why we’re doing those areas last to make sure that we’ve got the service and whole infrastructure set up and running smoothly before getting the communal bins in.

“One of the areas of concern is around the bins themselves. In communal areas, you’ve got to have a daily collection and a bin that is secure because we all know the foxes and seagulls will get into the bins given the slightest chance.”

Labour councillor Joy Robinson, who also represents Central Hove, said: “This could really help with the horrible problem we have with seagulls.”

Green councillor Pete West said that a new city-wide service was being introduced when the environmental services team was “in deep distress” and unable to manage existing rubbish and recycling collections.

Councillor West said: “Given the scale of the undertaking for Cityclean to successfully implement a whole new collection service for food waste by March 2026, and the complete lack of detail presented in the thin cabinet report on how this will be successfully achieved, are cabinet confident they are showing due diligence and good governance in agreeing a recommendation for the roll-out on the basis of what appears to be effectively handing officers a blank cheque?