Food waste collections

Kitchen caddies are available free of charge from the following locations:

Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar, EN6 2HZ

Civic Office, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD6 1WA

96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, WD6 1EB

Aldenham Parish Council, Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, WD7 8HL

Bushey Grove Leisure Centre, Aldenham Road, Bushey, WD23 2TD

If you'd like to use compostable caddy liners these are available to purchase from the following locations:

Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar, EN6 2HZ

Furzefield Leisure Centre, Mutton Lane, Potters Bar, EN6 3BW

The Venue Leisure Centre, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD6 1JY

96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, WD6 1EB

Aldenham Parish Council, Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, WD7 8HL

Bushey Grove Leisure Centre, Aldenham Road, Bushey, WD23 2TD

Food waste collections started on 7 April 2025. Check which day your collection is with our 'bin collection day finder'. 

Your new silver food waste bin will be collected weekly and the service runs all year round.

Food bins have been delivered to most properties that have a fortnightly refuse collection and individual bins. 

If you live in a flat, a more rural road or receive a weekly collection of refuse then you may not have a food bin yet. We are rolling these out in stages - some properties will receive food bins later in the year.

If you think you should already have a food waste bin and haven't received one, then please contact us. 

Your new food waste bin is 23ltr capacity. In comparison your black, brown and green wheelie bins are 240ltr.

The kitchen caddies we have available for indoor use are 7ltr.

You should have received a collection calendar when your new silver food waste bin was delivered. This will tell you what day all of your bin collections will take place. To make our rounds more efficient, you may have seen a change to your collection day. To check, please use our bin collection day finder.

No. If you have subscribed to the Garden Waste Collection Service, your green bin is for garden waste only. It is vital that no food waste is put into the green bin due to the way the material is processed. Food waste should go in your new silver food waste bin. If you don't yet have a silver bin and are a property that will be delivered one later in the year please use your black refuse bin until such time.

If you have been delivered a silver food bin then we strongly discourage residents from placing food waste in the black refuse bin. If you put food waste in your black bin it will be sent for landfill or incineration and only emptied every fortnight. It is much more environmentally friendly to use your new silver food waste bin where the contents will be collected weekly and recycled to produce electricity to power local homes and fertiliser for local farmland.

By only putting food waste into your food waste bin, which is emptied weekly, you may find your black bin is less smelly!

If you are a property that won't be receiving a silver food bin until later in the year, you can use your black refuse bin.

Yes, if you already have an assisted collection for your other bins this will include your new food waste bin.

No, you can choose to line a kitchen caddy with compostable liners, a plastic carrier bag or similar, such as a bread bag or salad bag. We cannot accept black bags. Alternatively you can put your food waste into the bin loose.

The facility we take the food waste to is able to remove plastic bags during the recycling process, therefore plastic carrier bags, bread bags, salad bags or similar are acceptable to use when lining your kitchen caddy. However, we cannot accept black bags or any other plastic packaging. 

No. The initial roll was complimentary, but any further rolls must be purchased. However you can reuse a carrier bag, bread bag or similar. We cannot accept black bags. Alternatively you can put your food waste in loose.

No, please use either a compostable bag, a plastic carrier bag or similar, such as a bread bag or salad bag. We cannot accept black bags. Alternatively you can put your food waste into the bin loose. 

No. Your food waste bin will be collected weekly and should be sufficient for a week's worth of food waste. If you would like help reducing the amount of food waste you create there is an excellent Worth Saving campaign run by Herts Waste Aware that provides useful tips on how to minimise the amount of food waste you create, from saving £11 every time you go shopping by writing a list to learning how to store waste correctly. You can also visit Love Food Hate Waste for recipe ideas to use up leftovers.

Your new silver food waste bin is designed to be stored outside along with your other bins. For ease of collecting your food waste you can use a kitchen caddy which can be lined with a plastic bag or liner and then transferred to the outdoor bin. Many people store their caddy under their sink.

For more information please see 'how to use your bin' at the top of this page or refer to the leaflet that was delivered with your bin.

If you have put your silver food waste bin out on the correct day and it contains acceptable items then please contact us to report a missed bin or fill in our online missed bin report form.

Properties that share communal bins will be provided with shared food waste bins later on this year. More information will be provided at a later date.

Properties that share communal bins will be provided with shared food waste bins later on this year. More information will be provided at a later date to managing agents whose details we hold.

Through Herts WasteAware we run an excellent Worth Saving campaign that provides useful tips on how to minimise the amount of food waste you create, from saving £11 every time you go shopping by writing a list to learning how to store waste correctly. You can also visit Love Food Hate Waste for recipes ideas to use up leftovers.