From the section: Food waste collection
This page provides the answers to some commonly asked questions about our new food waste collection service.
We appreciate it may take a while to get used to, but we encourage everyone to recycle their food waste as small actions can add up to big climate benefits.
Using the food waste collection service can also help to free up space in your rubbish bin and manage your rubbish over a two-week collection cycle.
We will provide you with everything you need - see 'what types of caddies will I receive?' for more details.
The government have covered the cost of the collection service as part of its commitment to increase recycling and reduce waste.
Food waste is approximately 70% water and requires more energy when being burned, so recycling is a more efficient method of disposal.
You can read more benefits of recycling food waste below.
Recycling your food waste has many benefits. For example:
No amount of food waste is too small.
Some waste like banana skins, tea bags and bones are unavoidable and can all be recycled in your food waste bin.
Home composting is a great way to manage food leftovers, but it isn’t always suitable for all food waste especially cooked food and bones.
If you prefer to compost all of your food waste or use an alternative food digestion system, such as Bokashi, then that’s fine.
We would ask you to keep your food waste containers in case you:
Food waste collections will start from Monday 5 October 2026.
Your food waste will be collected every week on the same day as your other bin collections.
You can check your bin collections using our bin collection calendar.
Please place the grey outdoor caddy next to your black or brown bin (whichever is due to be emptied) at the edge of your property by 6:00am on collection day and make sure it can be clearly seen.
Top tip: Don’t forget to number your caddy.
We'll deliver two caddies to each household including a:
The caddies will be delivered in August and September 2026.
We are introducing food waste collections to households first and will then be introducing food waste collections to flats with communal bins in 2027.
Our flats recycling page provides information about the different types of recycling we provide to flats.
As food waste is collected differently to your other waste and recycling, you will receive a caddy.
No, we will not be providing caddy liners.
You can use any bag to line your food caddy providing it is not black. For example, you could use food packaging such as bread bags or salad bags.
You can also use newspaper or choose to not use any type of liner.
We will not collect caddies that contain the wrong items.
An information hanger will be left on your caddy telling you why it’s not been collected.
You will need to remove the incorrect items from your container and present it for your next scheduled collection.
No, you must present food waste in your outdoor caddy only.
This is because it has a locking handle and will prevent contents from spilling if the caddy gets knocked over.
No, the kitchen caddy is not designed for outdoor use.
You need to present your food waste in the larger outdoor caddy as this has a locking handle.
No, if you would rather put your food waste straight into your outdoor caddy you can do this.
However, most people find it useful to use the smaller kitchen caddy and then empty the contents into the outdoor caddy.
It’s a good idea to regularly clean both your kitchen and outdoor caddies, especially after disposing of:
A spray of white vinegar can help to remove lingering smells.
You may want to consider keeping your outdoor caddy in a shed or garage between collections, especially if it is particularly hot or cold. However, you can leave your outdoor caddy out all year round.
Your kitchen caddy is completely dishwasher safe.
Food waste will be collected in a smaller (7.5 tonne) specialist food waste vehicle. It’s designed to ensure that the food waste is kept in sealed body while it’s taken to the processing facility.
The collection crew first use a larger transfer bin to collect your waste, which is then emptied into the collection vehicle.
These will be placed on the back the vehicle while it is travelling (not collecting).
To make sure we can collect, please:
If you’ve followed these steps and you caddy hasn’t been picked up, please report a missed collection.
Missed collections need to be reported within two working days of the collection. Please allow up to two working days for us to return and collect.
If you currently receive an assisted collection for your other waste services, you will also receive an assisted collection for your food waste collection.
The food waste will be collected in special 7.5 tonne vehicles and taken to an anaerobic digestion facility.
Here the food waste will be placed into a sealed container where it is slowly mixed and the food waste broken down. This process will produce a biogas used to create heat and power and a bio-fertiliser for use in agriculture.
The facility that we’ll be using is in North Warwickshire, the power generated is used by a local distribution hub and to power the facility itself.
The fertiliser is used by farms within a 10-mile radius of the site.
The 7-litre kitchen caddy is designed to fit under sinks or on the kitchen worktop. You can use a different container if you want to, but it should have a lid so that it stops flies accessing your food waste.
The 23-litre outdoor caddy is designed to be stored outside and take up minimal space. It’s much smaller than the 55 litre boxes that were provided for collecting glass when that was collected separately.
The caddies are designed with lockable lids. You shouldn’t have an issue with smells or flies if you regularly empty your indoor kitchen caddy into your outdoor caddy. Your outdoor caddy also has a lockable lid which will prevent pests and vermin getting in.
The following steps can also help to reduce smells:
When you put your kerbside caddy out for collection, make sure:
This should deter animals and will prevent the contents of your bin from spilling if it’s accidentally knocked over.
No, if you chose not to use the weekly food waste collection service, we will not provide you with any extra capacity for your rubbish/non-recyclable waste.
If you’re struggling to manage your waste, we can provide you with advice and support to assist you.
No, for now, we’ll still empty your rubbish bin or purple sacks bin.
However, we strongly encourage you to separate your food waste wherever possible. Everything we throw away has an impact on the environment.
By using your weekly food waste collection, you also make space in your rubbish bin for non-recyclable waste.
If you are finding that your outdoor food caddy is filling up too quickly, it is time to take action to reduce the food you waste. We can help with tips and guidance so that you are only buying and cooking what you need.
Some things which you can do to help reduce food waste include:
Please visit Love Food Hate Waste for information and advice on how to reduce food waste.
However, if you are still struggling with capacity we may provide you with a second outdoor food waste caddy, we will assess each request on a case-by-case basis.
No, we will not provide a second kitchen caddy.
You should empty your food waste into your outdoor caddy as soon as it’s full.