Food waste

If you live in a food waste collection area you must recycle your food waste.

If you are unsure whether you live in a collection area, please call us on 020 7926 9000.

We will not be checking your food waste bins but we will be monitoring participation. If you do not recycle your food waste, but are able to, you will receive a letter or a visit from a Waste Support Officer. If you persistently do not recycle your food waste, you could face a fine of up to £1,000.

Food waste collection days have not changed even if your collection day for recycling and rubbish has changed.

You can also visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for lots of practical advice, tips and recipes on how to avoid food waste and save money.

How do I recycle my food waste?

From kerbside properties

We have provided you with a kitchen caddy, an outside food waste bin and caddy liners. If you do not have these, but live in a collection area, please call 020 7926 9000.

Please place your external bin on the footpath outside the boundary of your property by 6am on your collection day. You will need to make sure that they do not unnecessarily obstruct the pavement and are not put out before 8pm if you are putting them out on the night before your collection.

If you need extra liners, please leave a note in time for your next collection on your outside food waste bin requesting more caddy liners. Our collection crew will leave a roll of liners next to your outside food waste bin on the same day they pick up your food waste.

From estates

We have provided you with a caddy, caddy liners and communal food waste bins. Once your liner is full, please tie it and take it to your nearest communal bin.

Food waste is collected once a week and your collection day has not changed.

If you need extra liners, you can get more from your housing office. If you are not sure of which office to visit, you can call us to find out on 020 7926 9000.

When is my food waste collected?

View the Food waste collection days for estate and kerbside properties to find out which day of the week your food waste is collected.  

What can and cannot be recycled?

Yes please:

• meat and fish (raw and cooked including bones)
• fruit and vegetables (raw and cooked)
• dairy products (including cheese, eggs and egg shells)
• bread, cakes and pastries
• rice and pasta
• tea bags, tea and coffee grounds
• used kitchen paper towels
• uneaten food from plates and dishes.

No thank you:

• packaging of any sort
• plastic bags
• glass, metal and paper
• oils and liquids
• nappies
• soil, rubble and stones
• any other waste.

What happens to my food waste?

Once we have collected your food waste it is taken to a small composting facility in Mitcham, run by a company called Vertal.

The food is finely shredded and then placed into enclosed tanks for 72 hours where it is broken down by bacteria. It is then used as soil improver on farmland, improving soil fertility and replacing artificial fertilisers.