Encouraging residents to recycle food waste
Published: 31/07/2025
About the campaign
We all aim to use what we buy, but when food waste is unavoidable, recycling is the next best thing. Despite providing free outdoor food caddies and weekly collections, 53% of our food waste still ends up in the refuse (general) waste stream.
We (as the waste collection authority) are working with Kent County Council (the waste disposal authority) to encourage residents to recycle their food waste.
Using SUEZ and Kent County Council data, we have identified areas with the lowest tonnage of recycling. Approximately 10,000 households will be targeted as part of this campaign. The selected households are spread out across the borough. These residents will receive:
- A helpful food waste recycling guide
- A roll of compostable bin liners
- A sticker placed on their refuse bin if no food caddy is presented on collection day
You can download the food waste recycling guide and print it at home to keep if you wish.
What food is recyclable?
No amount of food waste is too small and you can place items in your food caddy that can't be composted in your garden, like meat and bones.
+ Please place these items in your food caddy
| Meat, fish and bones | |
| Leftovers from meals | |
| Fruit and veg, including peelings | |
| Dairy products | |
| Bread, pasta, pulses and rice | |
| Teabags and coffee grounds | |
| Solid butter and lards | |
| Eggshells | |
| Foods past their sell by date | |
Remember to remove mouldy food or out-of-date food from the packaging before placing it in your caddy.
How to recycle your food waste
- Get your caddies: If you don't have an indoor or outdoor caddy, order them today. You can purchase an indoor caddy from us and order your free outdoor caddy (black body, orange lid). Alternatively, most supermarkets and online retailers have indoor caddies you can purchase.
- Collect your food waste: Line your indoor caddy or container with a compostable caddy liner and put your food waste in there. Most people keep it in their kitchen and scrape plates and peelings directly into it. You can purchase compostable caddy liners in all supermarkets next to other bin bags.
- Put it in your outdoor caddy: Whenever you need to empty your indoor caddy, tie the bag and put it in your outdoor caddy.
- Put it out for collection: Put your outdoor caddy out for collection by 6am every week on your normal collection day. Remember your outdoor caddy comes with a lockable handle to effectively prevent pests and contain odours.
+ Why recycle food waste?
Generate renewable energy: Recycled food waste is turned into a biogas, a renewable source of energy that is used to power the recycling plant itself and over 3,000 homes each year.
Create fertiliser for farms: Recycled food waste is broken down by a natural process which also makes fertiliser for farms.
Save energy and costs: Recycling food waste uses less energy and is much less costly than burning food waste mixed with refuse (general) waste.
Reduce your food costs: Recycling food can also help you start to reduce your food waste and save money as you become aware of what is not getting eaten.
Keep your bins fresh: Utilising the food waste recycling service ensures that your refuse bin remains fresher, as food waste will be disposed of in the caddy, which are designed for easy cleaning and collected on a weekly basis.
Frequently asked questions
+ I would like to participate by recycling my food waste, but do not have the food caddies. Where can I get them?
You can order your indoor and outdoor food caddies on our website.
We provide the outdoor food caddy (black body, orange lid) for free, including replacements, however the indoor caddy costs £5. You can use other indoor food caddies and you can purchase them in most supermarkets and online.
+ Why has a sticker been placed on my bin?
We have used 'no food waste here please' stickers on refuse bins where residents did not have a food caddy presented on their collection day. We are encouraging residents to use our food waste collection service because recycling food makes a lot of sense, it uses less energy and is much less costly than burning food waste mixed with refuse (general) waste and it's better for the environment.
We (with Kent County Council) are doing everything we can to reduce unnecessary costs and handle waste so that it has the lowest possible impact on the environment.
+ But I don't have any food waste because I compost and/or ensure there is no food wasted?
Great job! If you are composting your food waste or reducing your food waste already then you are doing your bit for the environment. You can gift the caddy liners to a neighbour/friend or family member if you have no use for them.
However, even if you don't think you produce much food waste, you could still challenge yourself to try food recycling for a week or two, because many people don't realise how much food is going in their refuse bins. There is plenty of unavoidable food waste that can still be recycled in your caddy (that can't be home-composted) like meat, fish, bones and diary.
Seeing how much and what types of food are going to waste is often the first step in reducing your waste and saving money.
+ How was the distribution and printing of stickers, leaflets and caddy liners funded?
The funding came from Kent County Council's allocation of national funding to increase food waste recycling, with support from Ashford Borough Council. This is in a bid to increase food waste recycling rates. Recycling food uses less energy and is less costly than burning food waste mixed with refuse (general) waste. So, the money spent on this project should be recovered by lower disposal costs now and into the future.
+ Why have I got a bin sticker and my neighbour/friend/family member hasn't?
+ I've had a sticker put on my bin, does this mean it won't be collected?
+ Why have you printed stickers and guides - surely that is bad for the environment?
+ How often is food waste collected?
Food waste presented in your food caddy is collected weekly on your usual collection day. Just ensure it is presented by 6am. You can check your collection day on our look up tool.
+ What happens to food waste once it is collected?
When recycling your food waste, it goes to Blaise Farm Quarry near Maidstone, where a natural process breaks it down, producing fertiliser for farms and biogas, a renewable energy. You can watch the journey on Kent County Council's YouTube.
