Food waste collections
Starting in April 2026, every household in East Sussex will receive a new weekly food waste collection service. Currently, food waste collections are only available if you live in Lewes district.
What you will receive
Every household will receive a food waste starter pack consisting of:
- a new food waste bin
- a kitchen caddy
- a roll of compostable liners
Your district or borough council will deliver this pack and let you know when collections will start in your area. You can check collection dates on their websites.
If you live in flats, you may have access to a communal food waste bin shared with other properties.
How to use your food waste bin
| Accepted | Not Accepted |
| Uneaten food and plate scrapings | Food packaging such as plastic, paper, cardboard and metal foil |
| Fruit and vegetable peelings | Plastic bags and clingfilm - even if labelled as biodegradable |
| Meat, fish and bones - raw and uncooked | Coffee cups |
| Dairy products - including egg shells | Cooking oil and liquids |
| Bread, cake, pasta, rice and beans | Kitchen cutlery, crockery and plates |
| Coffee grounds and tea bags | Cleaning wipes and nappies |
| Household plants and cut flowers | Garden waste |
| Animal waste such as bedding and poop | |
| Compostable packaging |
You should not put compostable packaging in your food waste bin.
If using compostable liner, they must display the seedling logo. This shows that they meet the EN 13432 standard and are compostable.
Why we are introducing food waste collections
By using your food waste bin, you are helping to:
- reduce waste
- tackle climate change
- make a useful product from waste
In East Sussex, 36% of household rubbish is food waste. On average, every household produces 5kg of food waste each week. This is currently sent to waste incineration.
Instead, we can recycle food waste to make a nutrient rich soil conditioner. This happens at Woodlands In-vessel Composting Facility in Whitesmith, near Lewes. You can buy this soil conditioner at our household waste recycling sites in East Sussex. See here for details.