Food waste collection in the UK
Weekly, free, mandatory in England from 31 March 2026 and already standard in Wales and most Scottish councils. The kitchen caddy is the bit that throws people off, but a few small habits make it the easiest waste collection in the house.
What goes in the food caddy
Anything that was once food. Industrial composting handles cooked food, raw food, meat, bones, dairy and oils together. Liquids and packaging are the two things to keep out.
Goes in the caddy
- Cooked and uncooked food, including meat, fish and bones
- Plate scrapings, leftovers and out-of-date food
- Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, peelings
- Eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters
- Dairy in small amounts
- Cut flowers and houseplants (no soil)
Stays out of the caddy
- Liquids, oils and fats (drain or solidify into bin separately)
- Pet waste, nappies or sanitary products
- Packaging of any kind
- Garden waste in bigger volumes (use the garden bin if subscribed)
- Plastic bags, including biodegradable ones unless certified
- Cooking oil in any quantity
Living with the kitchen caddy
The four habits that turn the caddy from a kitchen annoyance into something you stop thinking about.
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Empty the kitchen caddy every two to three days
Smaller, more frequent caddy emptying keeps the kitchen smell down and the maggots out. The outdoor caddy holds a full week's worth at a time.
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Use the right liners
Newspaper, kitchen roll or compostable liners marked with the seedling logo all work. Standard plastic bags do not and will get the bin tagged. A few councils take the caddy unlined.
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Drain liquids first
Pour off liquids, oils and the water from boiled veg. Wet food in a caddy is the main cause of leaks, smell and flies. A small mesh strainer in the sink solves most of it.
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Rinse the caddy weekly
Quick rinse under the tap, splash of washing-up liquid. The outdoor caddy needs a hose-down once a month or so, more often in summer.
Which UK councils collect food waste
198 of 352 supported councils on Bin Day currently collect food waste. The rollout is still progressing in some English councils on a transitional exemption.
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Common questions about food waste collection
- Is food waste collection mandatory in the UK?
- Mandatory in England under Simpler Recycling from 31 March 2026. Welsh councils have collected food waste weekly for years. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate rules with most urban councils already running food waste collections. The Simpler Recycling rule covers the household side in England, with a transitional exemption for some councils tied up in long disposal contracts.
- How often is food waste collected?
- Weekly, free of charge. Frequency is fixed in the legislation for England, and most other UK councils already collect weekly. The frequency does not change at Christmas, although the day can shift.
- Do I have to use the caddy if my council provides one?
- No household fine for ignoring it, but putting food waste in the residual bin sends it to landfill or incineration, both worse for emissions than the composting or anaerobic digestion route. The caddy collection is free and weekly, so the only reason to skip it is the kitchen habit, which usually clicks after a couple of weeks.
- Will the caddy attract flies or maggots in summer?
- Only if food sits for too long with liquids. Emptying the kitchen caddy every two or three days, keeping it lidded and rinsing it weekly handles it. Wrapping fish or strong-smelling food in newspaper before adding to the caddy also helps.
- Can I put bones, meat and dairy in the food caddy?
- Yes. The food waste collection goes to industrial composting or anaerobic digestion, both of which handle meat, bones, fish, dairy and oils mixed in with food, unlike home composting which struggles with those.
- What liners can I use?
- Compostable liners labelled with the EN 13432 standard or the seedling logo. Newspaper or kitchen roll for a simple unlined approach. Plastic bags will get the bin tagged at most councils and contaminate the load at the processing plant.
- What if I do not get a caddy from my council yet?
- Most councils give out a kitchen caddy and an outdoor bin when they roll out the service. If yours has not arrived after the rollout date, request one through the council's bins and waste page. While waiting, any sealable plastic container in the kitchen will do, with the food then transferred to the outdoor bin on collection day.