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Recycling your food waste

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Recycling your food waste

Food waste does not need to go in your general rubbish bin. Many homes in Camden are eligible for our weekly food waste recycling service. 

Food waste can be recycled and turned into low carbon electricity to help power homes or into compost that farmers can use for fertiliser. This is great for the environment. 

You can recycle: 

  • dairy products 
  • eggs and eggshells 
  • fruit and vegetables 
  • meat, fish and their bones 
  • stale bread and pastries, pasta and rice 
  • tea bags and coffee 

You can’t recycle: 

  • any materials other than food waste 
  • garden waste 
  • liquids  
  • oil 
  • packaging 
  • If you live in a house 

If you live in a house or a house that has been divided into flats, you can order a small green kitchen food waste caddy and a brown outdoor food waste caddy. 

You will need to put the food from your kitchen food waste caddy into your brown outdoor caddy by 7am on your collection day.  

You can line your caddy or put the food waste directly in. If you line your caddy, you need to use a compostable  liner, old newspaper or kitchen roll. Do not use plastic bin bags. 

Order food waste caddies   

Find out more about composting on our garden waste page. 

If you live on an estate or in a block 

If you live on an estate or in a block of flats, and there is a communal food waste bin, you can order a green kitchen food waste caddy. 

You will need to line your food waste caddy with a compostable liner and securely tie it before taking it to your communal food waste bin. These will be emptied weekly. 

Order food waste caddies 

If you live in a flat above a shop 

We are unable to collect food waste recycling from flats above shops. 

Find out more about reducing food waste and subsidised kitchen composters. 

Compostable caddy liners 

You can collect compostable liners from your local Camden library or leisure centre for free. If you are unable to visit Camden's libraries or leisure centres for health reasons, you can contact Veolia. 

Tips to help reduce food waste 

There are things you can do to try and avoid wasting food. 

For example, you can: 

  • keep your fridge below 5 degrees so that food lasts longer 
  • plan your meals so that you only buy what you need 
  • make use of your leftovers, see Love food Hate waste and Hubb recipe ideas 
  • freeze what you can’t eat 

Eat Like a Londoner is designed to help Londoners shop, cook and eat:  

  • more sustainably 
  • more cost-effectively 
  • more deliciously  

For new ways to cook, plan or save visit the Eat Like a Londoner website.

For even more tips on reducing food waste you can download the free Kitche app.