Food Waste Recycling

We offer all households in Oxford (except flats) a weekly food waste recycling service. We collect your food waste every week on the same day as your normal waste and recycling collection.

To recycle your food waste we supply you with:

• 7 litre food caddy with lockable lid for use in the kitchen.
• 22 litre food-waste bin with lockable lid to go outside for collection.

Food Waste Recycling Information Leaflet (1.4MB PDF)

What can I put in my food waste caddy?

You can put any raw or cooked food in your caddy. You can even scrape uneaten food straight into your caddy.

Yes Please	No Thanks
Meat and fish - raw and cooked including bones	Non-food products
Fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked	Packaging of any sort
All dairy products such as eggs and cheese	Plastic bags (don't use them as liners)
Bread, cakes and pastries	Oils or liquids
Rice, pasta and beans	Glass of any kind
Uneaten food from your plates and dishes
Tea bags and coffee grounds

How do I use my food caddy?

• If you want to line your kitchen caddy you should use either corn starch compostable liners displaying the European Bioplastics logo or newspaper. If you need corn starch liners you can purchase these at some local supermarkets. Do not use plastic bags to line your caddy. If you put your food waste into plastic bags, your food waste will not be collected.
• When the food caddy is full, tie the liner (if using compostable liners) and put the contents in your food bin.
• To help stop pests, lock the outside bin by moving the handle forward.
• Please put your food bin, with the handle in the locked position, at the edge of your property - with your other waste or recycling.
• Make sure your food waste bin is out for collection by 7am on your collection day and can be seen clearly.

Additional Food Caddy Liners

You can buy additional food caddy liners from the following outlets in Oxford:

You can also order food caddy liners from various websites including:

• Kitchen Waste Bags website
• Compostable Green Bag website

Please note that these may not be the only outlets in Oxford or on the internet that sell appropriate food caddy liners and inclusion here does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Council.

Reducing your Food Waste

For practical advice on how to reduce food waste, and save up to £50 per month on your food bill, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Make a pledge to Love Food Hate Waste on the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership website and they will send you a free leftovers recipe book with over 150 great recipes.

What happens to your food waste?

Food waste is either mixed with garden waste and sent for in-vessel composting which results in a rich fertiliser that is used on agricultural land or sent directly to an anaerobic digestion plant where the waste is processed to generate electricity.

By recycling your food waste you will reduce the amount of food in landfill sites. Rotting food in landfill produces methane gas which contributes to climate change and, as the cost of sending food waste to landfill is increasing, you will help the Council and its residents save money too.

Visit the Agrivert website for more information.

Home Composting

If you already compost at home please keep composting your uncooked vegetable and fruit peelings in your compost bin or heap.

Using compost on your garden will improve the quality and structure of your soil and will help you to grow healthy plants and tasty fruit and vegetables. Composting at home is quick and easy; whether you have a small courtyard or a large garden there is a compost bin to suit your needs.

For more information on how to start home composting and to buy a discounted compost bin, please visit the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership Get Composting website.

Lining your kitchen caddy with newspaper

Commercial Food Waste Collection Service

Visit our Oxford Direct Services website for more information about our commercial food waste collection service for businesses and other organisations and the range of other services on offer.

Page last reviewed 14 March 2012