Which councils collect food waste from home?
As of 24 Oct 2026. Worked out from each council's own published rules.
Most councils now collect food waste in a caddy, but some haven't started yet. This page lists who collects it, how often, and when the others say they'll start.
In England, councils are meant to collect food waste every week from 31 March 2026, but some have government approval to wait longer (see our Simpler Recycling guide). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
England
240 of 296 councils collect food waste from home.
Every week (232)
- Adur
- Amber Valley
- Arun
- Ashford
- Babergh
- Barnet
- Basildon
- Basingstoke and Deane
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bedford
- Bexley
- Blaby
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Blackpool
- Bolsover
- Bolton
- Boston
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Bracknell Forest
- Bradford
- Braintree
- Breckland
- Brent
- Brentwood
- Brighton and Hove
- Bristol
- Broadland
- Bromley
- Broxbourne
- Buckinghamshire
- Burnley
- Calderdale
- Cambridge
- Camden
- Cannock Chase
- Canterbury
- Castle Point
- Central Bedfordshire
- Chelmsford
- Cheltenham
- Cherwell
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Chesterfield
- Chichester
- Chorley
- Colchester
- Cornwall
- Cotswold
- County Durham
- Coventry
- Crawley
- Croydon
- Dacorum
- Darlington
- Derby
- Derbyshire Dales
- Dorset
- Dover
- Dudley
- Ealing
- East Cambridgeshire
- East Hampshire
- East Hertfordshire
- East Lindsey
- East Staffordshire
- East Suffolk
- Eastbourne
- Eastleigh
- Elmbridge
- Enfield
- Epping Forest
- Epsom and Ewell
- Erewash
- Exeter
- Fareham
- Fenland
- Folkestone and Hythe
- Forest of Dean
- Gloucester
- Gravesham
- Greenwich
- Guildford
- Hackney
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Haringey
- Harlow
- Harrow
- Hart
- Hartlepool
- Hastings
- Havant
- Hertsmere
- High Peak
- Hillingdon
- Hinckley and Bosworth
- Horsham
- Hounslow
- Hull
- Huntingdonshire
- Hyndburn
- Ipswich
- Isle of Wight
- Kensington and Chelsea
- King's Lynn and West Norfolk
- Kingston upon Thames
- Knowsley
- Lambeth
- Lancaster
- Lewes
- Lewisham
- Lichfield
- Lincoln
- Liverpool
- Luton
- Maidstone
- Maldon
- Medway
- Merton
- Mid Devon
- Mid Suffolk
- Mid Sussex
- Middlesbrough
- Milton Keynes
- Mole Valley
- New Forest
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Newham
- North Devon
- North East Derbyshire
- North Hertfordshire
- North Kesteven
- North Lincolnshire
- North Northamptonshire
- North Somerset
- North Warwickshire
- Norwich
- Oadby and Wigston
- Oldham
- Oxford
- Pendle
- Peterborough
- Plymouth
- Portsmouth
- Preston
- Reading
- Redbridge
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Reigate and Banstead
- Richmond upon Thames
- Rochdale
- Rochford
- Rossendale
- Rother
- Rugby
- Runnymede
- Rushmoor
- Rutland
- Salford
- Sandwell
- Sevenoaks
- Slough
- Solihull
- Somerset
- South Cambridgeshire
- South Derbyshire
- South Gloucestershire
- South Hams
- South Kesteven
- South Norfolk
- South Oxfordshire
- South Ribble
- South Staffordshire
- Southampton
- Southend-on-Sea
- Southwark
- Spelthorne
- St Albans
- St. Helens
- Stafford
- Staffordshire Moorlands
- Stevenage
- Stockport
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Stratford-on-Avon
- Stroud
- Surrey Heath
- Sutton
- Swale
- Swindon
- Tameside
- Tamworth
- Tandridge
- Teignbridge
- Telford and Wrekin
- Tendring
- Test Valley
- Tewkesbury
- Thanet
- Three Rivers
- Thurrock
- Tonbridge and Malling
- Torbay
- Torridge
- Tower Hamlets
- Trafford
- Tunbridge Wells
- Uttlesford
- Vale of White Horse
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Warrington
- Warwick
- Watford
- Waverley
- Wealden
- Welwyn Hatfield
- West Berkshire
- West Devon
- West Lancashire
- West Lindsey
- West Northamptonshire
- West Oxfordshire
- West Suffolk
- Westminster
- Winchester
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Wirral
- Woking
- Wokingham
- Worthing
- Wyre
Every two weeks (5)
- Bury
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Manchester
- Nuneaton and Bedworth
- Wigan
Collected, how often not listed (3)
- City of London
- East Devon
- Islington
Not collected from home yet (56)
| Council | Starts | What the council says |
|---|---|---|
| Fylde | In stages from 12 October 2026 | Weekly food waste collections start in the week of 12 October 2026 for the first group of homes. Other homes follow in spring, summer and autumn 2027, and you get a letter before yours starts. The council's food waste page lists every postcode with its expected start, so check yours there. Source |
| Wolverhampton | 26 October 2026 | Free weekly food waste collections for houses start in the week of 26 October 2026; flats follow later. Source |
| Charnwood | 2 November 2026 | From the week of 2 November 2026 food waste goes in your food caddy, collected every week on your usual bin day. Flats with a shared bin store join in 2027. Source |
| Halton | 2 November 2026 | Weekly food waste collections start in the week of 2 November 2026, on your usual bin day. Source |
| South Holland | 9 November 2026 | South Holland's new wheelie bin service starts the week of 9 November 2026, with a new weekly food waste collection. Source |
| Harborough | 1 April 2027 | Weekly food waste collections start the week of Thursday 1 April 2027, on your usual bin day. Source |
| Wiltshire | Expected August 2027 | The council's page says weekly food waste collections are coming in 2027, with no exact date. Committee papers say they start from 1 August 2027 (the December 2025 cabinet minutes say spring 2027). Caddy details haven't been published. Source |
| Ashfield | No date yet | There is no food waste collection on the council's pages yet; put food in the red general waste bin, or compost it at home. Source |
| Barking and Dagenham | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection here: food scraps go in the grey bin, or compost them at home. Source |
| Barnsley | No date yet | Barnsley doesn't have a separate food waste collection (checked 8 October 2026): food goes in the grey bin, which is treated to make energy. Source |
| Bassetlaw | No date yet | The council plans a weekly food waste caddy collection, with caddies in place by October 2027. No exact start date is given. Source |
| Birmingham | No date yet | Most of Birmingham has no food waste collection yet, so food goes in your grey-lid rubbish bin. The council began introducing a weekly food waste collection in North Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield in June 2026 and writes to each home with its start date. If you have a brown caddy, use that instead, every week. Source |
| Bromsgrove | No date yet | There is no food waste collection yet, so food goes in the grey bin until the council starts one. Source |
| Broxtowe | No date yet | A food waste trial starts on 16 October 2026 in Nuthall and Watnall, about 1,700 homes, with black outdoor bins and kitchen caddies. The whole borough follows by 1 October 2027, with no exact date given. Source |
| Cheshire East | No date yet | From early 2027 (no exact date published; the start is phased over two weeks by area) food waste goes in the new 23-litre green outdoor caddy, collected every week, and the black bin moves to every 3 weeks. The council says the online collection calendar will show your start date and new collection day later this year. Source |
| Cumberland | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection yet, so food goes in your general waste bin (or compost fruit and veg peelings at home). The council says weekly food collections will start by 3 June 2034. Source |
| Dartford | No date yet | Until the new service starts, food waste goes in the green refuse bin. The council says weekly food waste collections from houses start in November 2026 (no exact date yet), with caddies delivered first. Flats follow in early 2027. Source |
| Doncaster | No date yet | Doncaster has no separate food waste collection (a government-approved arrangement lets it continue without one until 2040), so wrap or bag food and put it in the black bin; never in the green bin. Source |
| Gateshead | No date yet | Gateshead has a government exemption until the end of March 2039, when its waste treatment contract ends. The council says a food waste collection will come to homes in years to come, but no date has been set. Source |
| Gedling | No date yet | There's no food waste collection yet, so use your general waste bin; food collections start across Nottinghamshire in October 2027. Source |
| Gosport | No date yet | There is no food waste collection yet, so food goes in the black rubbish bin. A food caddy service is being prepared. Source |
| Great Yarmouth | No date yet | Great Yarmouth has no food waste collection yet, so put food in the black bin. Uncooked vegetable peelings can go in a brown garden bin if you have one. Source |
| Havering | No date yet | The council says its food waste service will start in Spring 2027. No exact date has been published. Source |
| Herefordshire | No date yet | There is no food waste collection yet, so food goes in your black bin or home compost. A weekly caddy service is planned from September or October 2027. Source |
| Isles of Scilly | No date yet | The council lists no food waste collection, so put food in your black sack, or compost it at home. Source |
| Kirklees | No date yet | Kirklees has no food waste collection at the moment, so food goes in the grey bin (or compost it at home). Source |
| Leeds | No date yet | Most of Leeds has no food waste collection yet, so food goes in your black bin. If you're in the Wetherby area trial and have a caddy, tip it into your brown bin instead. Source |
| Leicester | No date yet | The council lists food waste as black bin waste, so bag it and put it in your black bin. Source |
| Malvern Hills | No date yet | The weekly food caddy rollout started gradually on 5 October 2026; homes with existing bins come first and the council contacts each household when it's their turn. Full coverage is expected by October 2027, with homes on sack collections later. Source |
| Mansfield | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection on the council's pages; bag food waste and put it in the general waste bin. Source |
| Melton | No date yet | There is no food waste collection yet, so compost it at home or use the black bin; never the brown or green bin. Source |
| Newark and Sherwood | No date yet | Most homes have no food waste collection yet and the council's pages don't say where food goes until it starts, so the green bin is the only council bin left. A trial runs in parts of Southwell, Lowdham and Newark from October 2026, and county-wide weekly food collections start in October 2027. Source |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | No date yet | Most homes don't have a food waste collection yet, so food goes in your green bin. About 5,000 homes in the council's trial have a food bin and caddy, and should use that instead. Source |
| North East Lincolnshire | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection on the council's pages: compost at home or bag it into the green bin. Source |
| North Norfolk | No date yet | A new weekly food waste collection starts from February 2027, with a 5-litre kitchen caddy and a 23-litre outdoor caddy for houses. No exact date has been published. Source |
| North Tyneside | No date yet | Most homes don't have a food caddy yet, so food goes in your green bin. If you've been given the purple-lid food caddy in the phased rollout that started in August 2026, use that every week instead. Source |
| North West Leicestershire | No date yet | Weekly food waste collections come with the new collection system, now delayed to early 2027 (originally November 2026), starting with Coalville, Whitwick, New Swannington, Hugglescote and Thringstone. No exact date has been given. Source |
| North Yorkshire | No date yet | There's no separate food waste collection yet, so food goes in your rubbish bin (it is not sent to landfill). The council has approval to delay separate collections until 2043. Source |
| Northumberland | No date yet | Food waste goes in the general waste bin for now. Weekly food waste collections start from autumn 2026 in parts of the county (south east Northumberland, Morpeth, Pegswood and Ponteland) once the council confirms dates; elsewhere there is no date. Source |
| Nottingham | No date yet | There's no food waste collection in most of Nottingham yet, so put food in your green bin. Only homes in the Berridge trial area have a food caddy. Source |
| Redditch | No date yet | There is no food waste collection yet, so food waste goes in your grey bin. Source |
| Ribble Valley | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection; put all food waste in the burgundy bin, never the green bin. Source |
| Rotherham | No date yet | Food waste goes in the pink-lid household waste bin; there is no separate food caddy and it must stay out of the brown bin. Source |
| Rushcliffe | No date yet | There is no separate food waste collection yet. Wrap food waste in paper or a bag and put it in the grey bin, or compost at home. Never in the green bin. Source |
| Sefton | No date yet | For now food waste goes in the grey bin. Caddies are delivered from winter 2026/27 and a free weekly food collection starts after that, but the council hasn't confirmed a date. No action is needed yet. Source |
| Sheffield | No date yet | Sheffield doesn't collect food waste separately, and the council says food collections are delayed until at least 2038, so put it in your black bin. Wrap it in summer to keep smells and flies down. Source |
| Shropshire | No date yet | Weekly food waste collections were due on 1 April 2026 but did not start because of funding. Cabinet decided on 15 April 2026 to work with the contractor on the cost and timing of a compliant scheme and to report back in July 2026; no start date is published. Source |
| South Tyneside | No date yet | South Tyneside doesn't collect food waste separately yet, so food goes in your grey bin. Raw fruit and veg peelings can go in a home compost bin. Source |
| Sunderland | No date yet | Sunderland doesn't collect food waste separately yet, so put food in your green bin. It must not go in your blue or brown bin. Source |
| Wakefield | No date yet | Wakefield has no separate food waste collection yet, so food goes in the green bin, never the garden bin. Source |
| Walsall | No date yet | There's no food waste collection yet, so food goes in the grey bin, never the green bin. The council plans weekly food caddies from 2027. Source |
| Westmorland and Furness | No date yet | There's no food waste collection yet, so food goes in the grey bin (not the garden bin). Source |
| Worcester | No date yet | Worcester City Council plans a weekly food waste collection (council committee report, January 2025). No confirmed start date could be read, so food stays in the black bin until the council announces one. Source |
| Wychavon | No date yet | The council says it is not introducing food waste collections yet because of contract and value for money issues, complicated by local government reorganisation. No start date has been published. Source |
| Wyre Forest | No date yet | There is no food waste collection, so use your black bin (never the green bin), or a home compost bin for raw peelings, tea bags and coffee grounds. Source |
| York | No date yet | York has no separate food waste collection; compost raw fruit, veg, tea and coffee grounds at home, and put the rest in the black bin. Source |
Scotland
28 of 32 councils collect food waste from home.
Every week (13)
- Aberdeenshire
- Angus
- City of Edinburgh
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee City
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Lothian
- Falkirk
- Highland
- Midlothian
- Scottish Borders
- South Ayrshire
Every two weeks (12)
- Aberdeen City
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow City
- Inverclyde
- Moray
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Perth and Kinross
- South Lanarkshire
- Stirling
- West Dunbartonshire
- West Lothian
Collected, how often not listed (3)
- Fife
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Renfrewshire
Not collected from home yet (4)
| Council | Starts | What the council says |
|---|---|---|
| Argyll and Bute | No date yet | Only Helensburgh and Lomond has a food waste collection (weekly caddy). Elsewhere use the green bin or compost at home. Source |
| Dumfries and Galloway | No date yet | Only Annan, Dalbeattie, Dumfries, Gretna, Lockerbie and Stranraer have a food caddy (weekly, in a sealed council liner); everywhere else food waste goes in the non-recyclable bin, or home compost. Source |
| Orkney Islands | No date yet | The council doesn't list a food waste collection, so food goes in the grey bin; compost at home if you can (the council sells discounted Green Johanna hot bins). Source |
| Shetland Islands | No date yet | The council's pages don't list a food waste collection, so food goes in your black bags with the rest of your non-recyclable rubbish. Source |
Wales
22 of 22 councils collect food waste from home.
Every week (22)
- Blaenau Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
Northern Ireland
11 of 11 councils collect food waste from home.
Every two weeks (9)
- Antrim and Newtownabbey
- Ards and North Down
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
- Belfast
- Derry City and Strabane
- Fermanagh and Omagh
- Mid and East Antrim
- Mid Ulster
- Newry, Mourne and Down
Collected, how often not listed (2)
- Causeway Coast and Glens
- Lisburn and Castlereagh
More council rankings
- The weekly shop basket
- Recycling rates in England
- Which councils collect glass from home
- Which councils collect cartons from home
- Which councils collect soft plastics from home
- Which councils collect textiles from home
- Which councils collect small electricals from home
- Which councils collect batteries from home
- All rankings and how they work
Sources
- GOV.UK: Simpler Recycling in England
- Each council's own website. Our item pages and council pages link the council page each answer comes from.
- Find your council on GOV.UK