Food waste FAQs

Containers are due to be delivered from January 2026. Please do not use yours until your April collection has started. You will receive a letter confirming your exact collection day before collections begin.

If your neighbour has received their container(s), but you haven't, please contact us after two working days so we can look into this recyclingandwaste@hastings.gov.uk. Often, crews will need to restock their van when they run out and are due back to finish.

Letters will be sent out in March and April to confirm when collections start. Please look out for this.

Letters are being sent out in March and April. You will receive yours a week before your collections are due to start. Our postcode lookup will show your collection dates once your start date is confirmed.

We have some simple ways to keep your caddy fresh and odour-free:

• Keep the lid closed on your kitchen caddy to trap any odours and keep flies out.
• Line your kitchen caddy with compostable bags to contain moisture and keep it clean. You must present your food waste in a liner in your outside container.
• Add citrus peels or baking soda to neutralise smells naturally.
• Clean your caddy with warm soapy water and a splash of lemon or vinegar for freshness. Kitchen caddies are also dishwasher safe up to 60°C. Your outside container can be washed with water outside.
• Place your caddy in a cool, shaded spot (away from radiators or direct sunlight). This slows decomposition and keeps smells at bay. With weekly collections, food waste doesn’t stay with you for long.

We provide all residents with a starter pack of compostable liners. When you run out, you can buy more from most supermarkets and online retailers. Look out for the seedling logo to ensure you have the approved bags for food waste.

No. We are only able to collect food waste contained in the approved compostable liners with the seedling logo on.

This should only be an issue if the outside caddy is not properly secured. When you place it out for collection, please ensure you leave the handle in the locked position (pointing down at the front). Please do not leave the handle in the carry position. When it is secured, it is difficult for any animals to access the caddy. If you use a communal bin, the lid should be closed in the usual way.

To use the service, simply line your caddy with a compostable liner and put your food waste into it. When it is full, tie the liner and place it in your outside container. Please ensure your outside container is presented at your usual collection point by 7am (or 6am where already required). Please do not present your small kitchen caddy for collection.

Our waste collection contractor, Biffa, will collect your food waste weekly. This is the same provider that collects your rubbish and recycling on our behalf. Your food waste might be collected on a different day to your rubbish and recycling, which will remain as normal.

Food waste collection is an important part of increasing the amount of waste we recycle, reducing our impact on the environment and helping to tackle climate change. All councils in England must provide households with food waste collections from April 2026.

The Government has provided additional funding to cover this new service.

We are required to provide every household with the service. Food waste makes up about 30% of the average household bin and can be easily recycled including all uneaten food and plate scrapings, meat bones, tea bags, coffee grounds and fruit cores, so we encourage you to make use of these collections.

We are giving every home with one 5L kitchen caddy. You will then either get a 23L outside food container, or a 140L food wheelie bin for communal areas. Please do not present your kitchen caddy for collection.

We are not able to provide extra containers at the moment. We will update this answer if this changes.

When food waste is collected, it is sent to Veolia’s composting facility. There it is put in a big, sealed container. Air is then pumped in, and the waste is mixed around to help tiny microbes break it down. As they work, the container gets hot enough to kill off any harmful germs or weed seeds.

Because it is all enclosed, smells stay inside and everything breaks down faster. After a few weeks, the waste turns into soil conditioner that can be used to help plants grow. This is then used on local farms, and can also be bought from local Household Waste Recycling Sites (tip) in East Sussex called Pro-Grow. More information can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling/reuse-shops

The small kitchen caddy is only 5L and designed to be kept on a kitchen work surface or under the sink. You could always use your own smaller container with a compostable liner to keep food waste in before transferring it to the outside container.

We still encourage you to compost at home where you can. However, the food waste collections will allow you to recycle any meat, fish, bones, cooked food and dairy products (except liquids), which are not usually home compostable.

There is no amount too small. Some waste like banana skins, tea bags and plate scrapings are inevitable. These can all go in your kitchen caddy.

Where residents share communal bins, a food wheelie bin with a special lid will be provided. If you have individual bins in a bin store and there is enough space, you will be given your own outside caddy.

You are welcome to make a private arrangement with your neighbour if this works for you both. The council does not need to be made aware of this. The council will be unable to assist with any potential disputes or contamination issues if you choose to do this.

By using your caddy, you will reduce the amount of rubbish in your bin. Food waste makes up about 30% of the average household bin and can be easily recycled. We’d therefore advise that you no longer place food waste in your rubbish bin.

No. Please keep food waste separate from your garden waste bin, if you have one.

All your raw and cooked food waste, including: All uneaten food and plate scrapings, dairy products (except liquids), cheese, eggs, bread, cakes, pastries, meat, bones, tea bags, coffee grounds, fruit, vegetables, peelings, fish, bones, rice, pasta, beans. You can also put your mouldy, out of date food and pet food (without packaging) in your kitchen caddy.

You can’t put in any material that is not food waste, including: Food packaging, garden waste and cut flowers, animal bedding and animal waste, paper towels, plastic or biodegradable bags, plastic film, medicines or tablets, chewing gum, vacuum cleaner contents, liquids (including cooking oils and fats such as butter) and large shells from seafood (oyster, crab and lobster).

As we start the service, some collections might not the same as all your neighbours. We also have a different crew doing your food waste collections, who work to a separate schedule, meaning your food waste collections may be on a different day to your rubbish and recycling collections.

Please only use your caddy the week before your first collection is due to take place. This is so you are not left with food waste in your caddy for longer than needed. We will write to you to tell you your collection day. This information will also be available on our website.

Continue as you do now, whether that is putting it in your rubbish bin or home composting it.

Food waste collections are weekly. Collections will be on the same day each week except over the Christmas and New Year period. You will be able to use our postcode lookup to check your collection day once the new service starts.

Our collection crews will always try to return the outside caddy to the location they picked it up from, but you may like to label your bin yourself if this makes it easier.

We use different crews and vehicles to collect the food waste. As this is done weekly, we have designed a different collection schedule with our waste collection contractor Biffa so that we can deliver the service to you.

No. The start of this service will not change your other collection services.