Next year, every local authority in the country will be required to collect food scraps as part of efforts to streamline waste management.

But the amount of funding offered by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) does not cover the full costs of implementing the scheme.

Food waste collections will be mandatory next year (Image: Newsquest)

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC), Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC), Breckland Council and South Norfolk Council are due to bring in the weekly food waste collections, with the remaining three councils already doing so.

It is estimated that each authority will require in the region of £1m to £1.3m to implement the scheme.

But officials calculate there will still be between a £400,000 to £500,000 deficit needed for the council to cover the costs of the new vehicles, caddies and bins required.

This will have ongoing implications for funding for other services, while some authorities will use their reserves to cover the costs,........

© Eastern Daily Press