Food Waste: Your New Weekly Collection

What goes in

• Fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps
• Meat and fish, raw or cooked (including bones)
• Dairy — cheese, yoghurt, butter
• Bread, pasta, rice, cereals
• Eggs and eggshells
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Plate scrapings and leftovers
• Biscuits, cakes, pastries
• Sauces and condiments (small amounts)
• Out-of-date food (remove from packaging first)
• Pet food (the food itself, not the packaging)

What doesn't go in

• Packaging of any kind — plastic, cling film, foil trays, fruit punnets, even if it says "compostable"
• Plastic bags (even as liners — unless your council specifically says otherwise)
• Liquids — drain them before putting food in the caddy
• Garden waste — this goes in your garden waste bin
• Pet waste, cat litter, dog poo
• Nappies
• Cooking oil in large quantities (small amounts on food scraps are fine)
• Tissues and kitchen roll (check your council — some accept these in food waste, most say general waste)

How to use your caddies

1. 1

   Line your kitchen caddy

   Use a compostable caddy liner (your council may have provided a roll with your caddy). Some councils also accept newspaper as a liner. Don’t use standard plastic bags unless your council specifically says you can.

2. 2

   Add food waste as you go

   Put in peelings, scraps, plate scrapings, and any other food waste as you cook and clear up. The caddy fits under the sink or on the worktop.

3. 3

   Transfer to the outdoor caddy

   When the liner is full, tie it and put it in the larger outdoor caddy. Keep the outdoor caddy locked (handle in the locked position) to keep animals out.

4. 4

   Put it out on collection day

   Put the outdoor caddy at the edge of your property on your regular collection day. Move the handle to the upright position so the crew can open it.

Tips

• –Keep the kitchen caddy lid closed when not in use — reduces smells and flies
• –Empty the kitchen caddy every couple of days
• –Rinse both caddies regularly with hot soapy water
• –Put your house number on the outdoor caddy so it doesn’t go missing
• –If you run out of caddy liners, tie one to the handle of your outdoor caddy — some councils will leave a new roll on collection day
• –There’s no amount too small — even a single tea bag is worth putting in

Why it matters

Food waste in landfill produces methane — a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than CO2 in the short term. When collected separately, your food waste goes to anaerobic digestion plants that turn it into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser. The UK wastes around 10 million tonnes of food per year. Separating it out makes a genuine difference.

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