What’s happening?

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 will significantly reduce the amount of waste sent for incineration.

It will be used to generate clean, green energy and nutrient-rich soil improver for farmers.

As part of the Environment Act 2021, food waste recycling is expected to be provided by all councils. 

How will it work?

Weekly food waste collections will be rolled out across the district in 2026.

This is currently in the planning stages and the exact date for your area will be provided nearer to the start of the service.

Before the start of the weekly food waste collections in your area, you will receive a starter pack made up of an information leaflet, a small caddy in which to collect food waste in your kitchen and a 23 litre outdoor caddy (or use of a communal bin if you share your outside bins with other properties).

Food waste bin calendars will be released before the service begins. Sign up to our bin updates to find out when they are available.

Sign up for bin updates

What are we doing now?

We’re currently sorting out the detail of how the service will work.

To provide this new service, we’re going to need:

  • Seven new vehicles to collect food waste, including from hard-to-reach homes and somewhere to store them.
  • Crews to drive and load those vehicles.
  • Food waste bins for you to keep outside and smaller bins (caddies) for you to keep in your home and a solution for communal areas.
  • Information for homes on how the service will work.

We’re obviously doing this at the same time as every other council that doesn’t currently have a food waste collection service.

Why is food waste recycling important?

Food waste can represent a third of what is put in each household's refuse bin and recycling will significantly reduce the amount sent to be burned for power. Instead, it 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.

What will go in your food waste bin?

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
  • 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

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.

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.