Let us know if you haven't got your caddies
All homes in the district should now have their food waste caddies. Please let us know if you haven't got yours.
What can go in your food waste caddy?
Yes please
- All uneaten raw and cooked food and plate scrapings
- Raw and cooked meat and fish, including bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Fruit and vegetables including peelings (raw or cooked), and other parts you can’t use such as pips, stones, and stalks
- Out of date or mouldy food
- Solidified cooking fat
- Shellfish and seafood shells
- Dairy products such as cheese
- Bread, cakes, pastries
- Eggs and eggshells
- Rice, pasta and beans
- Pet food
No thanks
- Packaging of any kind (except your caddy liner)
- Glass
- Liquids such as milk, liquid fat or gravy
- Oils such as used cooking oil
- Any material that is not food waste, including cat litter, or animal faeces, pet bedding, garden waste
When will my caddy be emptied?
You can find your food waste collection day by searching for your address on MyEHDC.
Caddy not emptied today?
If your caddy was due for collection but wasn't emptied today, you can report it online through MyEHDC as you would another missed bin.
What you’ll get from us
To enable you to recycle your food waste we will provide most homes with:
- A five-litre caddy to keep in your kitchen
- A 23-litre outside food waste recycling caddy that will be emptied weekly
- Stickers to go on you internal and external caddies, and your refuse bin
People using communal bin areas will receive a kitchen caddy and access to a new (140 litre) shared bin.
Why is food waste recycling important?
As part of the Environment Act 2021, food waste recycling is expected to be provided by all councils.
Unused food and food leftovers currently make up about 30% of what is thrown away in each household’s refuse (green) bin and being able to recycle this significantly reduces the amount of waste sent for incineration.
Your food waste will help generate clean, green energy via a process called Anaerobic Digestion (AD).
AD is already a valuable source of renewable electricity in the UK, contributing over 1 billion kWh of electricity to the national grid - enough to power around 3 million homes for a year from waste and organic materials. It also provides fertiliser as a byproduct to benefit local farms.
Every bit of food waste will contribute to the generation of green energy, no matter how small. For example, recycling just two tea bags can create enough electricity to fully charge a smartphone, and a full caddy provides enough energy to toast eight slices of bread.
Your food waste questions answered
We’ve set up a page of questions and answers about the food waste service which will cover the most frequently asked questions. We’ll update them from time to time with other questions we receive.