Learn more about our Food Recycling project

Essex County Council is funding this one-off project, in a bid to increase the use of existing recycling services, with support from local councils in rolling out the project. Food thrown away in the general rubbish bin in Essex is still costing around £9 million a year to dispose of. By recycling any food that can’t be eaten, you will be helping to save money that can be spent on other essential council services.
 

In Essex, most food recycling is collected by your local council's waste and recycling crews and taken to local processing plants. Anything that is not food, such as caddy liner bags or packaging, is then separated from the load.

The food is then processed and transformed into a biogas and fertiliser. This biogas is used to generate energy. By using this energy, it reduces our need to use fossil fuels.

To find out more information about your food recycling service, please visit your local council’s website.

When food is sent to landfill, it doesn’t just safely breakdown. Instead, it rots among plastic and other waste releasing harmful greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.

When food is recycled at the kerbside, it is given a second life and transformed into energy and fertiliser.

If everyone added their food scraps and leftovers to their food caddies instead of their general rubbish bins, the positive impact would be huge! 

Food thrown away in the general rubbish bin in Essex is also costing around £9 million a year to dispose of. By recycling any food that can’t be eaten, you will be helping to save money that can be spent on other essential council services.

Essex County Council use weight based data to assess the amount of food that is collected by local food recycling collection services. We are able to compare this to previous records to see if the project has been successful in increasing the amount of food recycled. Check out the previous results here. 

Home composting is a fantastic way of recycling nutrients and producing soil improver for use in your garden. If you have any food waste that is not suitable for your compost bin, such as cooked foods, please do make the most out of your kerbside food recycling collection service.

The deliveries for each district will take place throughout October and November. The delivery service working on behalf of Essex County Council will deliver the items through your letterbox. They will also endeavour to revisit any missed households, but unfortunately a small number may not receive the items and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

You will receive a 7L roll of liners. These liners are intended for use in your kitchen food recycling container and, when full, can be added to your outside caddy. If you don’t plan to use the liners, please pass on to a neighbour to encourage them to recycle their food.

This is a one-off delivery intended to kick-start residents on their food recycling journeys. Some councils offer liners at a reduced price, or free, however, liners aren’t always necessary for your food recycling caddy. 

Please note, for residents living in Rochford and Epping Forest, separate food caddies are not provided for residents. Instead, food can be recycled using your mixed garden and food waste bins. 

Visit your local council's website to find out what you can and can't put in your bins.

Please inform Essex County Council who is working closely with the delivery service. They will make sure to feedback your comments to the team for a response. If you would like to make a formal complaint, please contact Essex County Council on https://www.essex.gov.uk/contact-us/complaints-and-compliments. Or if you would like to get in touch with Love Essex, visit our social media or, email us at Love.essex@essex.gov.uk

Please visit your local council’s website which will include instructions about how to obtain a new food recycling caddy. Not all local councils offer both inside and outside caddies, however, you can use any container to collect your leftover food inside before you add it to your outside caddy. 

Please note, for residents living in Rochford and Epping Forest, separate food caddies are not provided for residents. Instead, food can be recycled using your mixed garden and food waste bins. If you do not have a mixed food and garden waste bin, please visit your local council's website. 

Your leaflet will inform you of what you can and can’t put in your food recycling caddy. Your local council’s website will also inform you of what should be included in each of your bins.

Please note, for residents living in Rochford and Epping Forest, separate food caddies are not provided for residents. Instead, food can be recycled using your mixed garden and food waste bins. For a full list of what can and can't be put in these bins, please visit your local council's website. 

We apologise if you have received items meant for an area you do not live in. You will not be required to return any products. If you don’t have food recycling collection services, please pass onto someone who does. If you would like to make a formal complaint, please contact Essex County Council on https://www.essex.gov.uk/contact-us/complaints-and-compliments.