Food waste collections are coming

Why we are introducing food waste collections

Food waste collections are being introduced to help us improve our recycling rates and to comply with new legislation that requires all councils in England to collect food waste from spring 2026. More than 40% of the rubbish in an average Horsham District bin by tonnage is food waste.

If this food waste is collected and processed separately from general waste it can be used in agriculture as a bio fertiliser, or to generate natural forms of energy such as biogas.

About your new food waste collections

Collections are due to start in March and April 2026, the exact date will depend on where in Horsham District you live. We will be writing to all residents in January about how the service will work and when your collections will begin.

You will receive a lockable food waste bin to put outside your property and a smaller caddy designed for indoor use. These will be delivered to you before your collections start, along with your first
roll of compostable liners. The liners will help to keep the caddy clean and make it easier to transfer the contents to your food waste bin. You could also use newspaper or kitchen roll to
line your caddy.

How to use your new caddy

Store your smaller caddy in a convenient place in your kitchen, line it with a liner and put all your cooked and uncooked food waste in it, including tea bags, dairy products, and even bones.

When your caddy is full, move the contents to the outside grey and orange food waste bin which is sealable and lockable, so no unwelcome smells! Your food waste will be collected every week on your normal bin collection day – even if you only make a small amount of food waste we will always empty your bin.

You can find more info on our webpage including what you can put in your food waste caddy, what happens to your waste, and useful FAQ.