Food Waste Collection Trial

Up to 37% in weight of the household rubbish put into our green bins in Nottingham is food waste.

Collecting food waste separately from all other waste has many benefits, including:

• Food waste will be turned into electricity and fertiliser for farming at a local Anaerobic Digestion site.
• Separating food waste means you have more room in your green bin to put things you cannot recycle and reduces the need for side waste

You will have two food waste containers, a small indoor kitchen caddy (7 litre) to put in your kitchen and a larger food waste bin (23 litre) for you to put outside for collection.

The food waste is collected weekly on the same day as your household waste and recycling bins. Place your outside food waste bin at the kerbside with your household waste or recycling bin by 7am. Your food waste will be collected by a different vehicle and at a different time of the day.

During this trial, you may be asked to NOT use any bags in your kitchen caddy.

There is no need for your kitchen caddy or food waste bin to become smelly or to attract insects or vermin. Your food waste caddy and bin have a sealable and lockable lid which will reduce smell as well as prevent pests.

There are some simple steps you can take – such as regularly emptying your caddy, rinsing it out, keeping the lid closed and keeping it out of direct sunlight.

We are working hard for the trial service to start for approximately 3,500 households in the first week of March, and we will keep this page updated with any changes.

You’ll receive all the information and equipment you need to take part a week or two before your first collection.

Your food waste will be collected on the same day as your recycling and household waste. Check your collection day here.

You can put all forms of cooked and uncooked food in your food waste bin including:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Meat and fish
• Rice
• Pasta
• Bread
• Dairy
• Eggs and eggshells
• Plate and bowl scrapings
• Tea and coffee bags and grounds

Please do not put liquids, garden waste, cut flowers or packaging (including biodegradable packaging) in the food waste bin.

We will collect the food waste from your food waste bin on a weekly basis. The waste will be taken to Biodynamic in Colwick where it is turned into fertiliser for farming and energy.

So, the new service will turn food waste from a problem into a resource!

If for any reason your bin is not emptied on your collection day we ask you to empty it into your green domestic bin for that week and present again for emptying the next week.

Because this is a trial we do not have capacity to return for missed food waste bins.

If your bin is contaminated with items other than food waste, a sticker will be put on the bin advising that it could not be collected and asking you to empty it into your green domestic bin on this occasion and continue to separate your food waste for your next weekly collection.

Because this is a trial we do not have capacity to return for contaminated food waste bins.

As this is a trial we need to understand how the use of liners may affect the quality and amount of food waste we collect.  If you are asked not to use liners, we really will appreciate your feedback on how you used your kitchen caddy.  

Only compostable liners should be used in the caddies.

When the food waste is taken to the recycling plant, the compostable liners are mechanically removed at the beginning of the recycling process.  However, any material other than food waste slows the process and increases wear and tear on the machinery, which is why we need to test collections with and without liners.

We are encouraging residents to not use food waste caddy liners as it is the best way we can capture all your waste and is the most sustainable option. However, we understand some residents may wish to purchase their own food waste caddy liners. 

Residents who wish to do so should look for 7 litre sized bio-degradable liners which are available from most supermarkets and convenience stores.

Please don’t use any liners that are not compostable.

Yes! You should only compost garden waste and uncooked waste vegetables and fruit (e.g. peelings and skins) as well as coffee grounds and tea bags.

All non-compostable food waste, such as meat, fish, small bones, cooked food and dairy products can go into your food waste bin.

For information and advice about how to compost at home visit our website here.

During the trial period you will be able to reorder a replacement kitchen caddy or external bin free of charge if it is lost, stolen or damaged.  A link to the order form will be available here once the trial goes live.