Food Waste Collections
Weekly food waste collections will start from 30 March 2026.
All Councils in England are required by the Government to introduce weekly food waste recycling collections in 2026. This means that food waste will be collected separately in a designated food waste caddy, in addition to existing recycling and rubbish collections.
By collecting food waste separately, we can generate cheap and clean energy, turn waste products into fertiliser for farmers, cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost recycling, and reduce disposal costs. This is good for residents, good for our environment and good for present and future generations across Blaby District. It will also serve as a timely reminder of how much food we throw away and how we can all save money by reducing waste.
The food waste will be sent to a biogas plant to generate sustainable energy rather than being lost to landfill. The Government suggests this could all help to cut the 18 million plus tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions associated nationally with this waste.
What will we provide?
Food waste collections will take place weekly on the same day as we collect your other general waste and recycling.
If you live in a house we will provide you with:
- A small (7-litre) kitchen caddy for depositing food waste indoors
- A starter roll of bags – an initial supply to keep your kitchen caddy clean
- A larger (23-litre) lockable outside food waste recycling caddy which we will empty every week
- An instruction leaflet and details of what food waste can be recycled to help get you started
If you live in a flat/apartment block with communal bins we will provide you with:
- A small (7-litre) kitchen caddy for collecting waste indoors
- A 140-litre wheeled communal food waste bin will be placed in the bin store for all households at the location to use
When will I get my caddies?
We will deliver caddy packs to all households in the District during February and March 2026. We anticipate this will take up to six weeks. Your caddies may not be delivered on your usual collection day; it could be any day of the week (Monday – Friday).
For those that wish to know which week their caddies will be delivered, we will be offering the opportunity to sign up to a text or email alert. More information will be shared between December and January on how to sign up. We will also be updating the website with areas which we have delivered to, during February and March.
You don’t need to be home to receive your caddies, but if you’re planning to be away from your home for a longer period of time, you may wish to ask a friend or neighbour to look after your caddies until you return.
What to do
It’s as easy to recycle your food waste as to put it in your kitchen waste bin, you’re just putting it into a separate container. Simply follow the steps below:
- Put a bag in your kitchen caddy
- Put any food waste in it
- When full, remove the bag, tie the top and put it in your outside food waste recycling caddy
- Put your food waste recycling caddy out for collection by 6.30am every week on your usual bin collection day
What can I put in my food waste caddy?
Yes please:
- Meat and fish (raw/cooked/bones)
- Fruit and vegetables (raw/cooked)
- Peelings
- Leftovers (including plate-scrapings)
- Dairy (cheese/yoghurt, etc)
- Egg shells
- Pasta and rice
- Bread, cake, pastries and other baked goods
- Tea bags/leaves and coffee grounds
- Pet food
- Out-of-date/mouldy food (without packaging)
No thanks:
- Food packaging - even compostable packing
- Plastic (other than the liner bag)
- Glass
- Tins, cans and foil
- Any liquids including oil and liquid fats
- Pet waste
- Garden waste and flowers
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s estimated a third of the waste in your refuse bin is food waste. The new recycling service gives you the opportunity to recycle more, so helping the environment and doing your bit to combat climate change.
Food waste that is sent to landfill doesn’t just harmlessly break down. It has a big impact on the environment as it rots and releases methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Also, as food waste is 70% water, if it is sent for incineration, it requires more energy to burn. That’s why recycling is a more efficient and sustainable method of disposal. Our recycling method, anaerobic digestion, also produces green energy and fertiliser to boost agricultural land.
The best thing we can do is enjoy our food and eat everything we buy or produce. However, some waste like peelings, banana skins, tea bags and meat or fish bones are unavoidable and can all be recycled. Plate scrapings and out-of-date food which you would not normally eat can go in the caddy for recycling, as can any uneaten pet food. You may actually be surprised by how much food waste you have.
It’s as quick and easy to put your food waste into the kitchen caddy as it is to put it in your kitchen waste bin. By doing this you’ll be playing an important part in helping reduce carbon emissions as well as contributing to the production of green energy and fertiliser. If you get into the habit of using your caddy for food waste and not your waste bin, it will soon become second nature.
Food waste is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant where it is processed to generate biogas which is converted into electricity and fertiliser is created as a by-product. At the plant all bags (including compostable bags) are removed before the food waste is processed.
In a sealed silo the food waste is mixed and pulped to create a thick liquid. This is then pasteurised (heated) to kill any harmful bacteria, leaving the good bacteria to break it down and produce biogas. The biogas is extracted and used to generate electricity to feed into the National Grid.
Once the gas has been removed a liquid fertiliser remains (known as digestate) which can be used on local farmland. Digestate is high in valuable nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil.
We will deliver caddy packs to all households in the District during February and March 2026. We anticipate this will take up to six weeks. Your caddies may not be delivered on your usual collection day; it could be any day of the week (Monday – Friday).
Households will receive two caddies, an indoor caddy and an outside caddy.
Those that live in flats and have an outside bin store will just receive a kitchen caddy for collecting food waste indoors. A new communal bin for food waste will be added to the bin store.
It's important that you only use your caddy after 23 March 2026, ready for your first collection the following week.
The kitchen caddy is 7 litres. It measures H 230mm x W 250mm x D 225mm.
The outdoor caddy is 23 litres. It measures H 374mm x W 324mm x D 350mm.
For those that live in flats or have a communal bin (for bin stores) for several households to use, the bin is 140 litres. It measures H1049mm x W486mm x D563mm.
No - all new food waste caddies will be provided free of charge as part of the service change.
The caddies are designed with lockable lids. You shouldn’t have an issue with smells if you empty your kitchen caddy regularly into the outside food waste caddy and tie up the bag. Your outside caddy has a lockable lid which will prevent pests and vermin getting in.
We will be providing households with one starter pack of 50 compostable bags. After that you’ll need to supply your own.
Line your kitchen caddy with a compostable or any plastic bag; either compostable or non-compostable is fine.
If you want to carry on using compostable bags after your starter roll you are welcome to, however you don’t have to buy bags, you can reuse any bag to line your kitchen caddy. This includes salad or vegetable bags, bread bags, frozen goods bags, delivery and shopping bags (but not bags for life). You can even use your paper Amazon delivery bags. Reusing old bags saves you money, extends the useable life of the bag and reduces the energy consumption associated with making any type of brand-new bag.
Please use any bag to line your kitchen caddy rather than put the food waste in your caddy loose. This helps our collection crews and will also help to reduce smells and keep your kitchen caddy clean and smelling fresh.
Outside food caddy next to 240L recycling bin