household food waste collection FAQs
what items can and can't go into the food waste bin
when will my bin be collected?
can I put food waste in normal carrier or black bags?
what about smells, bugs, germs, vermin and flies?
can I put shredded paper in my food waste bin?
I'm elderly or disabled and can't take my bin to the boundary edge
I don't think I have room for the food waste bins
I don't think my collection bin is big enough
what if I compost all my kitchen waste?
why does the council collect food waste?
why doesn't every household receive a food waste collection?
what items can and can't go into the food waste bin
Yes please...
Shredded paper (loose) Fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked Fruit and vegetable peelings Tea bags and coffee ground Egg shells Cooked and raw meat Cooked and raw fish Meat and fish bones Dairy products Bread, cakes and pastries Rice, pasta and beans Uneaten food from your plate
No thanks...
Supermarket carrier bags (even if they are made from bio-degradable plastic) Any food packaging (wrappings, trays or cartons) Oil or liquid fat Food and drinks cans Other liquid food waste Glass Animal waste
when will my bin be collected?
Your kerbside food waste collection container (the larger bin out of the two) will be emptied weekly and on the same day as your green or grey bin. This container will be emptied by a different crew and may be at a different time to your green or grey bin. Please place the collection bin at your normal bin collection point by 7.00am on your collection day.
Please note: The lid of the collection bin must be locked shut for collection. This is done simply by moving the handle of the bin forward.
can I put food waste in normal carrier or black bags?
No. Food waste must be placed in the compostable bags you have been given.
Householders must only use the bags provided or others that are manufactured out of a compostable material like starch or paper. As a guide, look for the compostable symbol as shown below. Plastic bags made from bio-degradable plastic (supermarket carrier bags) cannot be composted and must not be used to wrap your food waste. Food waste that has been wrapped in plastic that is not compostable will not be collected by our contractor.
what about smells, bugs, germs, vermin and flies?
Both containers have locking handles which keep the lids firmly in place. These features prevent any smells escaping as well as avoiding unwanted attention from animals.
can I put shredded paper in my food waste bin?
Yes, it is fine to fill up any remaining space in your larger food waste container with shredded paper. The shredded paper needs to be placed loose inside the bin; it must not be put in plastic carrier bags or the compostable liners. Please note that shredded paper is still not accepted in the grey recycling bin.
I'm elderly or disabled and can't take my bin to the boundary edge.
If you are currently eligible for an assisted or back door collection service for your wheeled bins this will automatically apply to your food waste collection. Please contact the environmental contracts team if you do not receive this service but feel that you are eligible to apply.
I don't think I have room for the food waste bins.
The kitchen caddy is only seven litres with a lockable lid and a carry handle. It is designed to be kept in the kitchen and it doesn't take up much room at all. The collection bin is 21 litres and is designed to be kept outside and placed at the kerbside for collection on your specified day. Therefore there should not be any major practical problems with accommodating the two containers.
I don't think my collection bin is big enough.
As the food waste will be collected weekly the collection bin should have adequate capacity. If you find that you are regularly filling up your collection bin, you might wish to consider trying to reduce the amount of avoidable food waste created. Follow the link below to the Love Food Hate Waste website, which is packed with tips for preventing food waste.
what if I compost all my kitchen waste?
If you compost at home, carry on! This is one of the most positive ways of dealing with raw vegetable and garden waste. It is also very good for your soil. The biggest benefit of this collection service is that it will deal with your cooked food and meat/fish waste.
how do I request more bags?
Before you run out of bags, please place a handwritten note on top of your collection container when you put it out for collection. The collection crew will leave a new roll of bags with your empty container.
We would like to encourage sensible usage of the compostable liners, as providing them makes up a significant fraction of the cost of providing a food waste service. It is therefore important that the liners are only used for the containment of food waste, and not for general household use.
why does the council collect food waste?
The ideal solution to the food waste problem would be for everyone to use the food they buy and then to compost material such as vegetable peelings leaving only a minimal amount to throw away. However, over 30% of the green bin waste collected in Broadland is food waste. This is the same as 600 refuse lorry loads of waste or some 130 kgs each year for every household in Broadland. When organic material such as food waste decomposes in a landfill site, it produces green house gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Throwing away food wastes money, resources and also causes unnecessary pollution. Therefore by collecting unavoidable food waste, it is possible to divert this material from landfill and turn it into a valuable resource.
why doesn't every household receive a food waste collection?
The food waste collection was initially launched as a time limited trial, in order to research alternative approaches to dealing with the issue of food waste. In order to facilitate this trial, the council was fortunate enough to secure external funding from WRAP (a not for profit company created as part of Government’s waste strategies across the UK). Further funding has been secured to enable the extension of the collection service, but again this is limited and therefore it is not currently possible to collect from every household in the District.
However, wherever you live in the district, positive steps can be taken to deal with food waste and minimize environmental impact. For example, we can all try to reduce the amount of food that we throw away in the first place, then consider home composting any unavoidable food and vegetable waste.
related pages
household food waste collection
external links
contact us
| Environmental Contracts Team |
|---|
| Broadland District Council Thorpe Lodge 1 Yarmouth Road Thorpe St Andrew Norwich NR7 0DU |
| tel: 01603 430534 |
| fax: 01603 430616 |
| email: environ.protection@broadland.gov.uk |