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How to use your new food waste recycling service


The information on this page is for Cornwall’s new weekly food waste and fortnightly recycling and rubbish collections. We are rolling this new service out across Cornwall area by area from 2023 to 2025.  
 
If you’ve not had a ‘Get Ready for Your New Waste Collections’ leaflet in the post and new bins delivered to your home, you’re still on the current weekly rubbish and fortnightly recycling collections

Image of a lady scraping peelings into a food waste bin

What can and can't be recycled in your food waste caddy

Yes please

  • All uneaten food and plate scrapings
  • Dairy products, cheese, eggs and egg shells
  • Bread, cakes, pastries
  • Raw and cooked meat, bones
  • Tea/coffee bags including non biodegradable and coffee grounds
  • Raw and cooked vegetables, fruit and peelings
  • Raw and cooked fish, bones
  • Rice, pasta, beans
  • Uneaten wet and dry pet food but not pet waste

No thank you

  • Plastic carrier bags and food packaging, non compostable caddy liners or ‘biodegradable’ packaging
  • Commercially compostable takeaway cups, plates and bowls like Vegware
  • Large amounts of liquid including milk, oils and fats
  • Nappies, clinical waste, cat litter, dog poo or other pet waste
  • Garden waste
  • Any other material that is not food waste

How to use your caddies and the new collection service

An illustration of a bright green sprout with leaves growing on it and the word 'compostable'

  1. Line your silver kitchen caddy to keep it clean if you want to.

    We’ve given you a starter pack of compostable caddy liners. You can buy more from the supermarket if you want. Look out for the green compostable logo. No plastic or other non-compostable liners please.

  2. Empty your silver kitchen caddy into your green outdoor collection caddy as often as you like.

    You can put any compostable shop-bought liners in your food caddy. You must put your food waste out for us to collect in your green outdoor caddy.

  3. Pull your green collection caddy handle forwards and down over the lid to latch it securely closed.

    Every week, put your green food waste caddy out for collection at your property’s boundary by 7am on your collection day.  Or your agreed collection point if you have one.

Remember that while you'll put your food waste out for collection weekly, your recycling and rubbish collections are fortnightly on alternate weeks.

So, next to your caddy, put out:

  • your recycling bags and box if it’s your recycling week or
  • your wheelie bin or reusable sack if it’s your rubbish week

On your recycling week, we'll collect your food waste at the same time we collect your:

  • cardboard
  • paper
  • plastic and metal packaging
  • glass and textiles

But on your rubbish week we may collect your food waste earlier or later than we empty your rubbish/sack.

Please only report a missed collection when you're absolutely sure both the rubbish and food waste collection vehicles have already collected in your area that day.

Need help?

Most issues can be resolved online, it's the quickest and most convenient way to get help.

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