Food waste recycling
Some food waste is unavoidable but that doesn't mean it has to go into your general rubbish bin. Many homes in Camden are eligible for our weekly food waste recycling service.
Find out if your property has a food waste recycling service
Lots of things can go in your food waste caddy.
Yes please
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- stale bread and pastries
- meat and fish bones (raw and cooked)
- dairy products
- eggs and eggshells
- plate scrapings and leftovers
No thanks
- packaging
- liquids
- garden waste
- oil
- any materials other than food waste
When you recycle your food waste, it’s sent to special processing plants and is transformed into low-carbon electricity helping to power homes and communities, or turned into compost, which farmers can use as fertiliser. This is great for the environment.
For composting information visit our garden waste page
Food waste collections from houses or converted houses
Use your small green or brown kitchen caddy to collect all of your unavoidable food waste.
Put it in your brown lockable outdoor caddy by 7am on your collection day.
You can line your caddy or put food waste straight in. If you do line your caddy, please use a compostable food bin liner, old newspaper or kitchen paper. Please don’t use black bin bags to line your caddy.
Order your free kitchen or outdoor food waste caddies
Compostable caddy liners are no longer available for delivery. They can now be collected for free from Camden libraries and leisure centres. If you are unable to visit Camden's libraries or leisure centres for health reasons then please call Veolia.
Communal food waste collections
Most estates will have a communal food waste bins which will be emptied weekly.
Please line your small kitchen caddy with a compostable liner and take your tied food waste to your estate’s food waste recycling bin. All food waste recycling bins have securable lids to stop them smelling or rodents getting in.
Check if your property has a food waste collection and order your free kitchen caddy
Compostable caddy liners are no longer available for delivery. They can now be collected for free from Camden libraries and leisure centres. If you are unable to visit Camden's libraries or leisure centres for health reasons then please call Veolia.
Flats above shops
Sorry, it is not currently possible to collect your food waste separately.
Find out more about reducing food waste or subsidised kitchen composters.
Reducing food waste tips
Food makes up 28% of the rubbish people in Camden throw away. Reducing the amount of food you waste can help protect the environment and save you money.
Eat Like a Londoner is a first-of-its-kind food platform for Londoners.
It’s designed to help Londoners shop, cook and eat better: more sustainably, more cost-effectively, more deliciously.
Find out about Eatlikealondoner.com for new ways to cook, plan or save food
Other tips:
- keep your fridge below 5 degrees – your food will last up to three days longer
- plan your meals – make a shopping list and stick to it
- love your leftovers – check out Love Food Hate Waste and Hubbub recipe ideas for inspiration
- freeze what you can’t eat – you can freeze loads more than you think, including fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, hummus, fresh herbs, spaghetti and more
Kitche is a free mobile app designed to support food waste reduction through tips like these and tracking the food you have at home.
Find out more and download Kitche