Food waste

How to reduce your food waste

Around a quarter of the food we buy in the UK goes to waste, costing the average family around £1000 a year. By reducing the amount of food we throw away, we can save money and reduce our carbon footprint.

View a list of good food habits from Love Food Hate Waste.

How to recycle your food waste

Having the right equipment

Food waste is collected every week. You should use:

• one small indoor caddy to store your waste
• one larger lockable bin which should be put out for collection

See New, replacement or additional bins to order new or replacement food caddies.

You are also welcome to use your own indoor container.

Lining your kitchen caddy

You can use any of the following to line your kitchen caddy to help keep it clean:

• a sheet of newspaper
• a compostable liner/bag
• a plastic liner/bag (no black bags)
• an old plastic bag like a bread bag, carrier bag or cereal bag etc

We do not supply caddy liners. 

WNC caddy liners are available to purchase at the following libraries for £1 per roll (30 bags):

• Northamptonshire Central
• Duston 
• Brixworth
• Hunsbury
• Weston Favell
• Towcester
• Deanshanger
• Brackley
• Daventry 
• Long Buckby
• Abington
• Kingsthorpe

You can also purchase caddy liners at most supermarkets, household and discount stores and online.

We suggest that you use 7 litre to 10 litre sized caddy liners. 

Both of the bins are washable and small caddies will fit in a dishwasher.

What to do with your kitchen caddy

When the small kitchen caddy is full, transfer to the bigger larger lockable bin and store outside. 

To lock the bin place the handle in an upright position, locked. Please keep the outdoor bin locked and away from pets and children.

On your normal collection day please place the larger lockable bin out for collection by 6:30am.

Separating food waste

West Northamptonshire residents already recycle over 9,000 tonnes of food waste each year.

There are many reasons why it makes sense to recycle food waste:

• it is easy and hygienic to do
• it is collected weekly
• it reduces the waste filling up your general waste bin
• it reduces your carbon footprint, which is good for the environment
• it saves money which can be spent on other council services

What can and cannot be put in food waste collections

The following items can be put in food waste collections:

• all uneaten food and plate scrapings
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• baked goods such as bread, cakes and pastries
• dairy products including yoghurt, eggs and eggshells
• fruit and vegetables including raw and cooked vegetables and peelings
• out-of-date or mouldy food
• pet food
• raw and cooked meat or fish, including bones
• pasta, rice and beans

The following items cannot be put in food waste collections:

• liquids such as milk - these may leak causing spillages when transporting the food waste
• non-food products including nappies
• packaging of any kind

Watch our short video to find out more about what you can put in your food waste bin:

Residents living in flats

We will be looking at rolling out Food Recycling Services to flats across West Northamptonshire over the coming months.

What happens to food waste

Food waste from West Northamptonshire is currently taken to an anaerobic digester facility at either Cassington in Oxfordshire or Coleshill near Birmingham. 

Any liners are removed and sent for energy recovery. The food is then broken down by bacteria, as it would be in our stomachs.

The facility then produces both a nutritious fertiliser and methane gas which is burned to generate electricity. 

Watch a short video of what happens to food waste at an anaerobic digester facility:

Last updated 03 April 2025