New rules that require councils to collect food waste will leave one authority £1.3m out of pocket, according to officials.

A report to North Norfolk Council has revealed that it will face a shortfall when the new service comes in, which is due to become mandatory by early 2026.

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) is required to cover the costs of purchasing food waste caddies for households and vehicles to collect the scraps of food.

Eastern Daily Press: Councils have to start collecting food waste by early 2026Councils have to start collecting food waste by early 2026 (Image: Newsquest)

But calculations by the council show the £716,000 funding is £1.3m less than what it will likely need to pay to introduce this.

North Norfolk District Council's overview and scrutiny committee members have since agreed to call on Defra to provide more money and will send a letter to the government presenting evidence to prove this is the case.

The introduction of food waste collection follows the announcement of plans to reform recycling in England.

The government says the new rules will help make recycling simpler and avoid the need for an "excessive number of bins".