Alternate weekly collections starting in February 2026

Lewes District Council will introduce alternate weekly collections (AWC) for household waste and recycling from February 2026, to increase the district's recycling rate.

New calendars will be sent out in January detailing the new collection days. 

The new system will see refuse (black sack waste) collected fortnightly, while recycling collections will also remain fortnightly, alternating with the refuse collection day. Crucially, weekly food waste collections will continue, along with weekly collections for non-infectious medical waste for those who register.

This approach is a way to encourage residents to think more carefully about what goes in each bin, bringing the Lewes district in line with the rest of East Sussex and most other councils in England.

​Our Food Waste Collection Scheme is a weekly service which is collected on the same day as your refuse and recycling using our dedicated electric vehicles.

All your food scraps – from eggshells and peelings to cooked food and leftovers, including bones and meat carcasses – can go into your food waste recycling bin.

It is taken to a local facility and composted into a soil conditioner for local farmers.

Outdoor food waste caddies can be locked by putting the handle all the way forward to deter pests.