Food Waste

Separate Food Waste Collections Coming by October 2027

By 1 October 2027, Broxtowe Borough Council will be required to provide weekly separate food waste collections as part of the Government's Simpler Recycling reforms under the Environment Act 2021.

Food Waste Trial Starts 16 October 2026

To help prepare for this change, a food waste collection trial will begin in Nuthall and Watnall on 16 October 2026, covering approximately 1,700 properties.
The trial will allow the Council to test the new service, understand how it works in practice, gather feedback from residents, and identify any improvements before the borough-wide rollout in 2027.

What We Will/Will Not Provide

We Will

Provide each property with two food waste bins:

• A Black 23-litre outdoor food waste bin for all household food waste.
• A Silver/Grey 7-litre kitchen caddy to collect food waste indoors before transferring it to your outdoor bin.
• Flats will receive a 140L external bin. Collected in a similar way to the existing glass collection service 

We Will Not Provide Bin Liners

Residents are encouraged to use a liner in their kitchen caddy to help keep it clean and make food waste easier to manage. However, the Council will not provide liners as part of the service.

Any clear liner can be used, including old bread bags or other clear plastic bags. Liners do not need to be biodegradable or compostable.

Top tip: Reusing clean bread bags is a simple way to give them a second life before disposal.

What Can I Put in My Kitchen Caddy?

Kerbside Pickup

Food waste bins need to be on kerbside by 6.30am on the morning of collection, with the lockable handle in the upright position to deter pests and spillage.  

Avoid Smells and Flies

To prevent odours and flies, it is important to empty your kitchen caddy regularly and avoid overfilling. You should also make sure to clean both your caddy’s regularly to prevent buildup of food waste. 

What Happens Next?

After your food waste is collected, it will be sent for treatment through anaerobic digestion (AD). This is a natural process in which food waste is broken down by microorganisms within a sealed, oxygen-free environment.

Anaerobic digestion has several environmental benefits. During the process, food waste is converted into valuable bio-products, including biogas and digestate. The biogas, which is mainly made up of methane and carbon dioxide, can be used to generate renewable energy or be refined into biofuel.

The nutrient-rich digestate produced during the process can be used in agriculture as a natural fertiliser. This helps to improve soil health and reduce the need for chemical fertilisers, supporting more sustainable farming practices.

What’s the point?

The introduction of separate food waste collections aims to make recycling services more consistent and to divert more biodegradable waste away from disposal. Food waste currently placed in the black bin is often sent for treatment that does not recover its full value. By separating food waste, more of this material can be recycled through sustainable processes such as anaerobic digestion.

Increasing the amount of food waste recycled is expected to have a positive impact on the Council's overall recycling rate, with an anticipated increase of around 10%. It will also support the Council's climate change objectives by diverting waste from less sustainable treatment methods and ensuring that valuable resources are recovered and reused.

By turning food waste into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser, the scheme will help reduce carbon emissions, support a circular economy, and deliver wider environmental benefits for the local community.

Other ways to reduce waste at home

While the new collection scheme is a great way to reduce waste hitting landfill. There are ways at home to reduce the need for waste.
•    Meal Prep to prevent waste of fresh food
•    Check best before and use by dates on products, and more freezable items to the freezer to prevent waste
•    Reduce portion sizes, if you regularly leave food.

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