I never throw food away
You can put things like tea bags, coffee grounds, left over pet food and bones from roast dinners into your food waste, even if you throw very little away.
I compost so I don’t need it
Unless you have a specialist composting setup, you shouldn’t put meat, bones or pet food into your compost. Our food waste service can be used alongside composting so you can put any food waste you can’t compost at home in it.
It’s going to stink
Internal food waste caddies are designed to minimise smells. Using liners, keeping the lid closed, and emptying it regularly prevents odours from building up.
Bagging your waste can reduce smells; you can also line your caddies with newspaper or kitchen towel which will absorb some of the smell.
Will the smell of food waste attract rats?
Recycling food waste in the containers provided should reduce pest activity as collections will be more frequent (weekly instead of fortnightly) and your outdoor food waste bin will have a lockable lid.
Do I need to order caddies?
No. Everyone will receive a starter pack including a free indoor and outdoor caddy before the service launches in October.
When will I get my caddies?
Distribution of caddies is likely to start in September and take most of the month.
When should I start using my caddies?
Don’t start using the caddies until the week before your first collection.
I don’t have space for the caddies
The indoor caddy is quite small and won’t take up much space. The outdoor one has a capacity of 23 litres and is smaller than a wheelie bin.
I don’t want the new caddies
For the start of the service, we’re delivering caddies for free to every home in the district using a grant from central government to support the introduction of food waste.
If you have decided not to use the service, we would still recommend that you keep them because if you change your mind later, caddies may be replaced for a charge.
I live in a flat, how will that work?
People who live in flats or use communal areas for their bins will be given a 5-litre indoor caddy and have access to a 140-litre external container for food waste to be put in.
We are currently reviewing bins in communal areas.
Please get in contact with us if you think there will be any issues with providing food waste collections to your home.
Why haven’t you given me bags?
You don’t have to line your food waste caddy with a bag. Any bags are removed at the anaerobic digestion plant and need to be disposed of separately.
If you do want to use a bag, you can reuse plastic bags you’ve got lying around the house, or worst-case, you can buy small bags to line your caddy.
Compostable bags are more carbon-intensive to produce than ordinary plastic bags and will not be as easy to remove at the anaerobic digestion plant.
I don’t want to use the service
We’re required by law to provide this service to all households in the district. Even if you dislike the idea of sorting food waste, using a small indoor caddy can dramatically reduce kitchen odours compared with leaving food waste in your general rubbish for days. Food waste is also collected weekly, helping prevent smells from building in your household waste.
Shouldn’t we also be wasting less food?
Yes. Throwing away edible food is a waste of resources and money, costing the average UK family £730 per year. According to WRAP, 4.7 million tonnes of edible food is thrown out each year by UK households, 25% of which is because of people cooking, preparing or serving too much.
There is more information as well as tips on how to reduce food waste on Hampshire County Council’s Smart Living page.