About your food waste service
From 1 March 2022 we will start a separate weekly food waste collection service from your property. Please start using your new outdoor caddy to dispose of food waste. From that date you will no longer be able to put food waste in your brown bin. We've produced a short video that explains why recycling food waste is so important.
Watch food waste recycling video
What happens to my food waste?
Food waste is taken to an anaerobic digester where it is broken down by bacteria, as it would be in our stomachs. The anaerobic digester turns the problem of food waste into two valuable resources: bio-fertilisers that help our farmers enrich the UK's soils and green electricity to power our local homes and businesses. Electricity generated by food waste collected from Cherwell households could run 9,000 fridge-freezers, or power a TV in every household in the districts for 15 hours a week.
Learn more about how we recycle food waste
Why are we introducing this change?
The new service will not only help us to achieve our environmental goals, it will also meet the tough recycling targets that the Government has set us. Collecting and recycling food waste not only reduces the amount of methane gas produced, which is a cause of climate change, it helps us cut the costs of waste disposal.
Your food waste containers
You should already have a brown or silver indoor caddy. When you have received a silver outdoor caddy you will be ready to start using the new service from 1 March 2022.
We will also provide you with a complimentary roll of compostable indoor caddy liners.
We only provide one size of indoor caddy and one size of outdoor caddy. You should not need an additional caddy as the food waste is collected weekly.
Food waste collection day
Your collection day should not change. You can put your larger silver outdoor caddy out weekly for collection along with either your blue recycling bin, brown garden bin or green rubbish bin, depending on what week it is.
Please ensure your caddy can be easily seen by the collection crew and remember to lock it. Your bin/s and caddy should be placed outside the edge of your property by 7am on your collection day. Remember to bring the bin/s back in as soon as possible after collection.
Please do not place your indoor caddy out for collection. If you regularly empty your indoor caddy you will avoid odours.
Assisted collections
As we already offer an assisted collection service to collect bins from a more convenient place for our elderly and disabled residents, the service will also apply to weekly food waste collections.
Please note that if you are currently registered for the wheeled bin assisted collection service, then this will continue as part of the weekly caddy food collection service and you do not need to contact us.
If you would like to enquire about setting up a new assisted collection, please contact our customer service team on 01295 227003 or contact us online.
Food collections if you live in a flat
Due to the logistics of flats, we would ask that you contact your managing agent or landlord to discuss the practicalities of food waste storage and collections with them first, as this may affect other residents in your building and there may also be limited space. We are happy to provide indoor and outdoor caddies or bins for large block of flats, however we ask that your managing agent or landlord contacts us to make the arrangements.
Collections for places of religious worship and community halls
These establishments are entitled to an indoor and outdoor caddy. We will deliver them at the same time as we deliver to residential properties in your area.
Using your containers
You can use your kitchen caddy to easily dispose of various types of food waste. It can be lined with a compostable bag or newspaper. When full, empty the contents into your outside food waste caddy. Lock the lid by closing it and moving the handle forward, the same way you lock your indoor caddy.
To keep your caddies clean you can use old newspaper in the bottom after it has been emptied to soak up any liquids. It will fall out when the caddy is next emptied and will be composted along with the rest of the contents. You may also want to clean your caddies with soapy water from time to time.
Compostable liners can be bought from supermarkets, discount stores, DIY stores and garden centres. Please only buy compostable bags that are labelled for commercial or industrial composting only.
What to put in your food waste caddies
- Leftovers
- Rice, pasta and beans
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Pet food
- Fruit and vegetables
- Out of date or mouldy food (without packaging)
- Bread, cake and pastries
- Meat and fish (including bones)
- Dairy (like eggs and cheese)
What not to put in your food waste caddies
- Plastic bin liner bags
- Food packaging
- Cling film and carrier bags
- Glass bottles and jars
- Lots of liquids (e.g. milk)
Why separate my food waste
Cherwell residents already recycle 2,500 tonnes of their food waste in the brown bin which is 25% of the food waste thrown away per year in Cherwell. With this new weekly service we are supporting residents to recycle the other 7,500 tonnes that is currently thrown away.
Recycling food is:
- Easy to do
- Collected weekly
- Reducing the waste filling up your green rubbish bin
- Reducing your carbon footprint, which is good for the environment
- Saving money
My outdoor caddy has not arrived or arrived damaged
If you don't receive your 23 litre outdoor caddy on scheduled delivery or was delivered damaged please use below link to re-order. You can also use the link below to order a missing or damaged indoor kitchen caddy.
Home composting
Making your own compost is the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with uncooked food waste.