Your food waste collections

All households in Bristol that have access to the kerbside are eligible for food waste collections.

To use this service you will have been provided with:

• Food waste bin - This is the bin that you put out on your collection day.  It is designed to be kept outside and should be kept locked (bring the handle to the front of the bin to lock, and unlock the bin by pulling the handle back over the top).
• Food waste caddy - This is the bin that you keep in your kitchen to collect your food scraps.  When it is full, empty it into you food waste bin.

Please place your food waste bin at the edge of your property and clearly visable from the road on your collection day by 7am.  If you are unsure when your collection day is, you can find out today using our collection day finder.

Need a new food waste bin and/or caddy?  You can request one online today using the request form below.

Having trouble putting your food waste bin out for collection?  If you have trouble carrying your food waste bin to the edge of your property due to disability or infirmity you can apply today for the assisted collection service.

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What we collect

It is important only the items listed here are placed in the food waste bin. Food waste bins containing the wrong waste will not be emptied.

You can put the following in your food waste bin:

• fruit and vegetables
• meat and fish
• cooked and uncooked food
• leftover food
• bread, pasta, cereal and rice
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• dairy products and eggshells
• bones
• small cardboard items (e.g. toilet paper rolls or egg boxes)
• small amounts of shredded paper
• cornstarch liners (though only liners bearing a special logo will be accepted - see below)

sorry we can't take:

• plastic (including bags made from degradable plastic)
• cornstarch liners without the recognised compost-friendly logo (see below)
• metal and glass
• any other household waste

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Keeping your food waste bin and caddy clean

By lining your bin and caddy it helps to keep it clean.  You can use:

• Old paper/newspaer
• Paper liners
• cornstarch liners which display the compostable logo.

You can buy paper and cornstarch liners from some local suppliers as well as major supermarkets. 

Please note: Bins containing plastic-type liners without the compostable logo will not be emptied.

Handy hints

• If necessary, after emptying you can rinse your caddy with water and wipe it with a kitchen towel. You can also use washing up liquid to clean it.
• To prevent attracting flies, keep your food waste bin and caddy lid shut.
• To avoid smells, keep your food waste bin and caddy out of direct sunlight.

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Request a food waste bin and/or caddy

If you would like a new food waste bin and/or caddy for one of the following reasons please complete the form below:

• Just moved in to a property and food waste bin and/or caddy not there
• Lost/stolen kichen waste bin and/or caddy
• Additional bin and/or caddy needed for all your food waste

Please fill in all fields marked with an *

Name*
Address*
Postcode*
Contact telephone number*
Email address
Special delivery instructions Please provide us with additional instructions, for example, if you live in a shared house or flat, a new build, or if access to your property is restricted by locked gates. Please tell us where to find the property and where you want your food bin and/or caddy to be left.
How is your rubbish collected * Weekly Fortnightly Communal collection Via a chargeable domestic contract Please select Please note: if your rubbish is not collected fortnightly then at present you are not eligible to use the food waste collection service.
Please tell us what you need * kitchen waste bin (25-litre bin for outside storage) kitchen waste caddy (5-litre bin for inside storage) both Please select
Please tell us the reason for your request * one bin is not big enough it is damaged new occupant it has been lost or stolen Please select
Your food waste bin and/or caddy will be delivered within three weeks. We will not collect any food waste bins that contain any bags or food wrappings that are not made from paper. Your food waste bin and/or caddy should be left at the boundary of your property - visible from the roadside by 7am on your collection day. If you have not received your bin and/or within four weeks please call our Customer Services Centre on 0117 922 2100.

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Missed recycling collection

If your recycling has been missed, please contact our Customer Services Centre on 0117 922 2100.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the time of your collection, so please wait until after 5pm on your collection day to report a missed collection.  The Customer Services Centre is open until eight o'clock in the evening.

If your recycling has been missed we aim to return and collect it within two working days.

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What we do with the food waste we collect

We send all your food waste, cardboard and garden waste to a composting facility in Dorset where it gets turned into compost.

First, all the materials are enclosed in a container and turned by a machine while heated up to over seventy degrees celsius over a three week period. The heating kills any harmful bacteria in the material and speeds up the composting process. The material is then taken outside and left in a large compost heap for about three months. The finished compost is used to improve the soil on farms.

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