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.
What can I put in my food waste caddy?
Accepted
- Uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Meat, fish and bones – raw and cooked
- Dairy products – including egg shells
- Bread, cake, pasta, rice and beans
- Coffee grounds and tea bags
- Household plants and cut flowers
Not accepted
- Food packaging such as plastic, paper, cardboard and metal foil
- Plastic bags and clingfilm – even if labelled as biodegradable
- Coffee cups
- Cooking oil and liquids
- Kitchen cutlery, crockery and plates
- Cleaning wipes and nappies
- 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 1.83kg 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 reuse shops