To recycle food waste, you have a small kitchen caddy to use inside your home and a larger external caddy that we empty.
To keep your caddy clean we recommend that you use a suitable liner, such as compostable bags, which are available from most supermarkets, or wrap your food waste in newspaper.
We collect external food waste bins every week.
If you have excess food waste, you can put this in a cardboard box (securely) and place the box on top of your food caddy. If you regularly have excess food waste, you can request an extra caddy
From April 2026, we will collect food waste from flat blocks weekly. Each household will be given a small kitchen caddy to store food before taking it to the communal food bin which will be placed in the bin store.
We can collect:
- fish
- meat and bones
- bread, pastries, pasta and rice
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- plate scrapings
- fruit and vegetables
- dairy products
- shellfish and egg shells
We cannot collect:
- plastic packaging - even if it is biodegradable
- glass
- can and tins
- oyster shells
- pet food
- liquids
- garden waste
- coffee cups
Once collected the food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant where gas from the processed waste is used to make green energy which goes to the national grid to power homes. The process also makes a liquid fertiliser used on farmland to help grow more food.
If you are looking for an alternative way to dispose of your food waste, you may want to consider composting.
‘Power Up’ with food recycling
We have partnered with Love Essex to launch the ‘Power Up’ campaign to help more people make use of their free weekly food recycling collection service.
From September 2026, households with wheeled general rubbish bins will be sent:
- a free one-off roll of compostable food caddy liners
- an information leaflet with tips on recycling food
- a reminder sticker placed on their general rubbish bin
Find out more about the campaign on the Love Essex website.