Food waste
Food waste bins, kitchen caddies and liners have been delivered to all households with individual waste bins and weekly food waste recycling collections have started. If you have shared bins the service will start next year.
Check your collection dates or request a replacement bin
Collection dates for food waste bins are on myCrawley and you can check yours on the form below.
If you didn't receive a food waste bin, kitchen caddy and liners, or your bin is damaged you can also request replacements on the same form.
To get prepared for the new service, all households with individual waste bins have received a:
- 23 litre grey outdoor food waste bin with an orange lid
- 5 litre grey indoor food waste caddy
- starter roll of compostable caddy liners
- leaflet explaining more about the new service and where to find more information
- new collection calendar showing your food, recycling and general waste collection dates
Even if you compost at home, we encourage all residents to use the new service to help reduce general waste and ease the transition to fortnightly collections. Home composting is not suitable for meat, bones, cooked food, or dairy. Use the food waste bin for these items. For more information about home composting visit West Sussex County Council's website.
What will I need to do?
All you will need to do is empty any food waste you have, such as plate scrapings, peelings and teabags into the new kitchen caddy. When your caddy is full, empty it into your new outside food waste recycling bin ready for collection.
What can I put in my food waste bin?
Here's a visual guide to what you can recycle in your food waste bin. To download a printable guide use this link: What can I put in my food waste bin (PDF 9.8MB)
Food waste
- all uneaten food
- plate scrapings
- mouldy and out of date food
Dairy
- dairy products
- eggs including shells
- cheese
- yoghurt
Bread and pastries
- bread
- cakes
- pastries
- biscuits
Meat and bones
- raw meat
- cooked meat
- bones
- pet food
Tea and coffee
- tea bags
- coffee grounds
Fruit and vegetables
- raw vegetables
- cooked vegetables
- whole fruit
- peelings
Fish
- fish
- cooked fish
- bones
- shellfish
Cereals and pulses
- rice
- pasta
- beans
Solid fats
- butter
- margarine
- lard
Remember to recycle your mouldy, out of date food, including ready meals removed from their packaging.
What can't go in my food waste bin?
- oils
- liquids
- flowers
- non-food items
- animal waste
- pet bedding such as hay
Our preferred option is to use compostable liners. These are stocked by most supermarkets and are usually displayed alongside other types of bin liners. We recommend using 7 litre liners to provide enough space for overhang.
If you choose not to use liners, your food waste can be placed in your kitchen caddy loose, but it could help to keep it clean if you use a sheet of kitchen roll or piece of newspaper, which can help soak up any liquids.
You can use a plastic bag to line your kitchen caddy but our collection crews must be able to see the contents through the bag.
If you use a plastic bag to line your outdoor food waste bin, leave the bag open and do not tie it so our collection crews can see what is inside.
We recommend reusing plastic bags you already have, such as old bread bags or carrier bags, rather than buying new plastic bags or bin liners. This helps reduce the amount of single-use plastic and microplastics entering the waste system. Most plastic bags are removed during the anaerobic digestion process but it is not possible to remove 100 per cent.
Food waste collections are strongly encouraged but not compulsory. We have to provide all households with the opportunity to recycle food waste so must deliver the outdoor food waste recycling bin and kitchen caddy.
If you don't use the service, you will still have fortnightly general waste collections. No general waste that isn't inside your bin will be collected.
Properties with communal waste collection facilities will remain on the current weekly general waste service without food waste collections. The new weekly food waste service will be rolled out to these properties in 2027.
Weekly food waste collections and lockable bins help prevent vermin and odours. Below are some tips to help prevent smells and pests:
- keep lids closed and locked
- wrap smelly food in newspaper or use compostable liners
- store bins out of direct sun
- clean bins regularly
- empty the caddy into the outdoor food waste bin often, even if it is not full
- leave your bins out of direct sunshine if you can
- don’t leave your food waste uncovered in your home (including pet food)
Food waste shouldn't smell if transferred from the kitchen caddy to the outside food waste bin regularly and bins are kept closed. General waste should smell less with food waste removed.
Some residents find that natural scents such as peppermint or citronella help discourage flies from gathering around the food waste caddy. However, the most effective measures remain keeping the lid closed, emptying the caddy regularly, keeping it clean, and reducing excess moisture by using liners or newspaper.
Yes, you can put all pet food in your food waste bin. However, pet bedding and pet waste should be disposed of in your general waste bin.
In 2023, the government announced that councils must introduce a weekly food waste kerbside collection service for all households as part of its Simpler Recycling scheme. This scheme aims to create a more consistent and easier-to-understand waste and recycling system nationwide. Find out more about the government's Simpler Recycling scheme.
Data shows that around 44% of general waste in Crawley is food waste, and around 18% is recyclable material.
When recycled, food waste can be turned into something useful. Your food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility, where it is used to generate natural forms of energy, such as biogas, an excellent alternative to fossil fuels, and a bio fertiliser which can be used in farming.
Watch the West Sussex Recycles video to see what happens to collected food waste.
If you regularly produce more food waste than fits in the standard bin, you can request a second food waste bin in myCrawley.
Remove all packaging and plastic before disposing of food in your food waste bin. Incorrect items mean your bin won't be emptied.
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