What food waste is
Recycle your food waste instead of putting it in your general waste bin. This allows us to take it to a special processing plant and turn it into useful compost.
These items can go in your food waste caddy:
- cooked and uncooked food
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- eggshells
- out-of-date food (packaging removed)
- solid dairy products
- meat, fish, and small bones
- pet food.
Do not put these items in your food waste caddy:
- plastic bags
- packaging
- liquids
- fats and cooking oils (set these aside and wait for them to solidify, and then they can go in your general waste bin)
- plastics, cans, and glass
- paper, card, and cardboard
- garden waste (this should go directly into your brown bin, but you'll need to buy a garden waste permit first).
Who can recycle food waste
You can recycle your food waste if your property is on a wheeled bin collection route, if you live in a flat with communal waste storage, or if you present an outdoor food waste caddy.
If your property is not on one of our food waste collection routes, then we cannot collect your food waste. Instead, consider composting your food waste at home (Recycle Now's website), or you can put your food waste in your grey bin with your general waste.
Check your bin collection calendar to find out if your property is eligible.
How to recycle your food waste
We provide a free food waste caddy and an annual supply of food waste liners so you can recycle your food waste.
To recycle your food waste, put one of the food waste liners in your indoor food waste caddy. Then, put your food waste into the caddy.
Once the caddy is almost full, tie the liner, remove it, and replace it with a new liner.
Put the full liner of food waste into your brown bin (or your outdoor food waste caddy, if you do not have a brown bin).
You can also put your food waste directly into the caddy and bin without using the liners, if you want.
We'll collect your food waste recycling at the same pickup point as your other bins. Check your paper bin collection calendar or check online to find your next collection date.