Food waste services for your house

From Monday 30 March 2026, we will be launching a new food waste recycling service, including for properties with communal waste collections, like flats.

Your food waste caddy

Buying a caddy

You will need to buy an orange-lidded food caddy to start using the food waste recycling service. We won’t be able to collect your food waste in a different container.

You can also use a separate, smaller kitchen caddy for storing your food waste, which can then be emptied into to the larger, orange-lidded caddy outside.

Lining your caddy

You should line your caddy using compostable caddy liners which can be purchased at supermarkets, but you can also use newspaper, paper bags or kitchen roll instead.

Please do not use plastic bags, such as carrier bags, because these won’t compost.

How to recycle your food waste

1. Line your kitchen caddy.

2. Scrape your food waste into the kitchen caddy.

3. When it is full, tie up the liner and put the bag into your orange-lidded caddy outside. Make sure your it is put in a visible place on your collection day.

What food you can and can’t recycle

You can recycle all your food waste, including:

• All uneaten food and plate scrapings
• Raw and cooked meat
• Raw and cooked fish
• Bones
• Fruit, vegetables and peelings
• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Tea bags
• Coffee grounds
• Rice, pasta and beans
• Bread and pastries
• Any mouldy or out-of-date food, including ready meals

You should not put any of these materials in your caddy:

• Packaging of any kind
• Liquids such as milk
• Oil or liquid fat
• Any material that is not food waste

You can also find out what other food waste can and can't go in your caddy.

Your food waste collection

Your food waste will be collected on the same day as your usual weekly collections.

Where to leave your caddy

You should put your food waste caddy next to your usual rubbish and recycling so that it is visible from the street.

A separate crew will collect your food waste using a dedicated food waste vehicle, so it may not be taken at the same time as your other waste.

If you missed your collection

If your food bin hasn’t been collected, you can report it to us. You must let us know by midnight on the day after your collection date.

Report a missed food waste collection

How your food is recycled

When food waste is recycled, it is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility Kent where it is turned into biogas (a natural source of energy) and a fertiliser used in farming.

The biogas is fed to the national grid and powers the plant itself which is an excellent alternative to fossil fuels.

You can also find out more about how your food waste is recycled and what it is used for.

Why it’s important to separate your food waste

Since food waste is made up of 70% water, processing it as part of your general waste through incineration uses more energy. This means recycling is a more energy and cost-efficient way of disposing of your food.

Feeding the biogas produced from recycling food back to the national grid is also another way of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Recycling your food scraps not only helps us reduce the amount they spend on processing your waste, but it also plays a big part in helping to protect the environment. For example, a single recycled banana peel can generate enough electricity to fully charge your smartphone twice.

Questions about your collections

You can find extra details about food waste recycling in your house, including what equipment you need to buy, where to store your caddy, and how to report a damaged bin.