Food waste recycling in flats

We are now introducing free food waste collection for flats following successful trials in Bedford Hill and Southfields. 

This will be a phased roll out and you will receive a letter ahead of the installation of a new communal bin.

How to recycle your food

To recycle your food waste, follow these simple steps:

1. Put your food waste in your caddy, which lives in your kitchen. You can line your caddy with your starter pack of liners, or old newspapers/magazines. Free top up caddy liners can be picked up from your local library or customer reception at the Town Hall.
2. Take your food waste to your nearest outdoor communal food waste bin, as many times as you like during the week. We will empty the bin weekly, and clean the bin twice a year.

Food waste caddies

You will receive:

• An indoor silver caddy (5 litre)
• A starter pack of compostable caddy liners to line your silver caddy
• A booklet explaining all about your new food waste collection service

If your neighbours have received their caddies but you haven't, let us know we missed you.

The 5 litre food waste caddy can be kept in your kitchen. It can be emptied into the communal bin throughout the week.

Lining your caddy

Lining your caddy can help keep it clean and odour-free.

Compostable starch liners are recommended, but you can also use old newspaper, paper bags or kitchen roll, or just rinse your caddy after emptying.

Compostable liners are made of corn or potato starch and will biodegrade completely in as few as 30 days in a controlled commercial process.

We will send you a starter pack of compostable liners for your silver caddy. Once these run out, you can buy more from retailers if you want to line your caddy. You can collect a free roll of caddy liners from your local library or customer reception at the Town Hall. We do not deliver caddy liners to your home.

When purchasing liners, ensure they are marked as conforming to composting standard EN13432 and display the 'seedling' logo below.

Do not use any other plastic liner.

What you can and can't recycle

You can put all cooked and raw food in your caddies. This includes:

• Plate scrapings
• Bread and pastries
• Fruit and vegetable peelings (including fruit stones)
• Meat, fish and bones (cooked or uncooked)
• Eggshells and eggs
• Dairy products (e.g. cheese)
• Tea bags (any type) and coffee grounds

You can recycle any mouldy or out of date food including ready meals – just remove the packaging.

You can't put this waste in your food waste caddy:

• Liquid food waste, milk or oils
• Biodegradable plastic coffee pods
• Compostable packaging (except compostable caddy liners)
• Any other plastics/bio plastics (e.g. Vegware)
• Paper or kitchen roll (except to line the caddy)
• Foil or cling film
• Garden waste

Missed food waste collection

If we missed your food waste collection, please report a missed collection after 4pm on your collection day. 

How food is recycled

The food waste you produce is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it’s turned into renewable energy and an agricultural fertiliser.

Do not add any plastic or packing to your food waste as this can contaminate the agricultural fertiliser. 

Reducing food waste

Reducing food waste and recycling as much as you can helps to reduce both environmental impacts and costs. An average family with children can save £60 per month by reducing their food waste.

Less food thrown away means less impact on the environment from:

• Food production and distribution
• Collecting and disposing of it when it gets thrown away

To reduce food waste you can:

• Plan your meals - Meal planning is one of the most effective ways you can save on your food bills and reduce waste. A meal plan will encourage you to think about the food you cook and help you only buy what you need
• Use what you have - Keep track of your fresh food and leftovers and eat them before they go bad
• Check your fridge temperature - Your fridge temperature should be set between 0 and 5°C. Storing food at a lower temperature can significantly extend storage lives, giving you more opportunities to use fresh food
• Use your freezer - Most food, raw or cooked, can be frozen without a problem. Freezing food before its use-by date can save you money and reduce waste
• Measure your portions - You can reduce waste by only cooking the amount of food you need. Try the Love Food, Hate Waste food portion calculator for recommended average portion sizes

Contact

If you have any questions about food waste collections you can:

• Use our contact form and we will get back to you
• Call us on 020 8871 8558