Food waste collection
Weekly food waste collections in Luton will start from late March 2026 . This is part of the government’s new Simpler Recycling scheme.
Around 35% of the household rubbish that is thrown away in Luton is food waste.
Collecting it separately:
- reduces waste and greenhouse gases
- turns food into fertiliser and renewable energy
How it works?
If you live in a house, you'll receive:
- one small blue kitchen caddy for you to collect your food waste
- one larger blue kerbside caddy to be emptied every week by the crew
On collection day:
- put your outdoor caddy out by 6am
- make sure the handle is upright as this locks the lid and helps the crew
- once your caddy has been emptied, please return it to your property promptly to prevent it from being lost or blown away and don’t leave it on the street between collections
If you live in a flat, you'll receive:
- one small blue kitchen caddy for you to collect your food waste
A larger communal food waste bin will be provided where your other bins are stored for you to empty your caddy into when full. The communal bins will be emptied weekly by the crew.
Food waste caddy deliveries
Our crews will start delivering the caddy packs from February onwards and we anticipate it will take a few weeks to complete. Store your food waste caddies until collections start from late March.
Keeping your caddy clean
You can use any type of bag to line your kitchen caddy. Alternatively, you can line your caddy with newspaper, paper towels or kitchen roll.
What to put in your kitchen caddy
In your caddy pack, you'll have a leaflet which you can stick on your kitchen caddy to help you remember what food waste you can recycle. Here's a list of what we can and can’t collect.
What we can collect
- Fruit and vegetables – raw, cooked and peelings
- Dairy products such as cheese and yogurt
- Eggs and eggshells
- Raw and cooked meat and fish
- Small poultry and fish bones
- Leftover food from your dishes and plates
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Rice, pasta and cereal
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
What we can't collect
- Large bones, packaging, liquid, oil or liquid fat.
Incorrect items will result in your caddy not being emptied.
Reduce your food waste
The best thing you can do is to reduce the amount of food you throw away. For advice and tips on how to save money and reduce food waste, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.
Tips for recycling your food waste:
- keep your caddies clean by washing regularly
- empty your kitchen caddy often into the outside caddy
- lock your outside caddy to stop vermin getting in
FAQ's
A weekly collection of food waste will reduce issues around smelly rubbish bins, and the food that is collected will be treated and ultimately be used as a fertiliser.
The food waste will be taken to a reprocessing plant commonly called an in-vessel composter for treatment.
Every household will have access to the new food waste collection service. For residents in HMOs and flats there will be an external communal bin for them to place the food waste from their property.
It is preferable to use the larger outdoor blue caddy for our crews to empty, but if space is an issue the smaller internal caddy can be used. Just make sure you take it back following collection.
The new food waste collection service is funded by central government, and monies are not provided to supply caddy liner bags.
Treatment plants have no preference with types of bags used to line the caddies; therefore you can use whatever type you like such as bread bags, carrier bags and even newspaper.
We will be collecting your food waste every week, so maggots should not be a problem. You can minimise the risk by locking your larger outside food waste caddy by moving its handle to the forward position.
Lock your food waste bin to keep smells inside and the animals out. The lock is operated by moving the caddy’s handle to the forward position.
We provide an assisted collection service. If you already receive this service for your other bins, you will also receive it for the food waste collection scheme.
You shouldn’t need more than one of each size blue caddy. The external caddy has a capacity of 23 litres which, if used properly, should be ample. Find advice on reducing food waste by visiting Love food, hate waste.
There is a space on each of the blue caddies to write your house number. Following collection simply pop out and pick up your blue bin.
If your food waste bin is damaged, you can report it or request a replacement by completing the Request new bin or report lost or damaged bin form.
If your food waste bin is not emptied, you can report this online by completing the Report uncollected bin form on our website.