Food waste collections
Around 30 per cent of the rubbish we throw away in Tower Hamlets is food waste.
A food waste collection service is available to all houses and a small number of flatted properties. The service is coming to all properties in 2026 and 2027.
Food waste is collected separately and taken to a special processing facilities, where it is turned into compost or biogas (renewable energy) and fertiliser.
New Purpose- built flats food waste service
The Council will begin rolling out food waste services to all properties this year in phases. Some areas will start receiving a service sooner than others.
We will work with your landlord or managing agent to deliver communal food waste bins and a food waste starter pack for each household.
The starter pack will contain a kitchen food waste caddy, liners and an instructional leaflet.
A small number of flatted properties already have the service.
How to recycle food waste
- Check if we collect from your address – all houses will have a service. The food waste service is rolling out to other properties throughout 2026 and 2027.
- Line your kitchen caddy with a food waste liner or/and some newspaper and put your food waste in it. Adding newspaper at the bottom of your caddy will help the content stay dry longer.
- Whenever you need to empty your kitchen caddy, tie the top of the liner and remove it from your kitchen caddy.
- Take your food waste to your communal wheeled food waste bins (blocks of flats) or outdoor caddy (houses).
- Your food waste bins will be collected weekly.We will take your food waste to a facility, which will turn it into compost or turned into biogas (renewable energy) and fertiliser.
What to recycle in the food waste caddy and bins
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✅ Plate scrapings: all uneaten food and plate scrapings
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❌ Packaging of any kind, even those marked as compostable or biodegradable.
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✅ Dairy: eggs and egg shells, cheese
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❌ Liquids such as milk, yoghurt, juice
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✅ Bread, cakes, and pastries, mouldy uneaten unwanted
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❌ Oil or other liquid fats |
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✅ Fruit and vegetables: raw, cooked, whole, peelings, mouldy or rotting
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❌ Any type of plastic carrier bags |
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✅ Tea bags and coffee grounds
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❌ Plastic tea bags
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✅ Meat and bones, raw meat, cooked meat, bones
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❌ Nappies
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✅ Fish: raw or cooked fish and bones
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❌ Other rubbish
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✅ Rice, pasta and beans
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✅ You can put mouldy food in your food waste caddy
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✅ Please remove any packaging before putting food waste in the caddy
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Starch liners
Starch liners for kitchen caddies are widely available in supermarkets.
Alternatively, you can use newspaper to wrap your food waste instead of using starch liners.
Never use plastic bags or black sacks as they can't be processed.
Have we missed you ?
At houses the food waste caddy must be left out before 7am on the day of collection.
Check here when we collect from your address.
If we have missed your property, please let us know by reporting missed collection after 3pm.
Houses only- Order food waste containers
Order your caddies and start recycling your food waste.
Kitchen caddies and communal bins will be delivered to blocks of flats when the service is available in your area.
Reduce your food waste
Don’t forget reducing food waste is the best option and will save you money.
Love Food Hate Waste is a great place to look for tips on appropriate food storage and recipe ideas to help you use up leftovers.