Food waste collections
In April 2026 a weekly food waste collection service was introduced across East Sussex. Previously food waste collections were only available for people living in Lewes district.
If you live in flats, you may have access to a communal food waste bin shared with other properties.
Please check with your district or borough council for the details on collection dates in your area.
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 and filter coffee paper
- 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 introduced food waste collections
Using your food waste bin helps 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