Food waste bin
How to use your kitchen caddy
Residents in the north (PDF 2.8MB) 
of Central Bedfordshire are provided with a small 7 litre brown kitchen caddy and larger 20 litre brown collection container for their food waste.
We collect food waste weekly on the same day as your other waste collections; just follow these 2 steps:
- line your small kitchen caddy with the liners provided. DO NOT use carrier bags. If you run out of bags, please use newspaper to wrap your food in
- when it is full, tie the bag and put it into your larger outside 20 litre food waste caddy
The outside food bins have lockable lids, which will keep flies out and help deter rats, foxes and squirrels!
Re-order corn starch bags
If you need more corn starch bags attach the request tag found at the end of your current roll onto your caddy or call us on 0300 300 8302.
What goes in your brown food waste caddy?
- meat and fish - raw and cooked (including small bones)
- raw and cooked vegetables and fruit (including peelings)
- all dairy products such as cheese
- eggs (including shells)
- bread, pastries and cakes
- pasta, rice and beans
- teabags and coffee grounds
- uneaten leftovers from dishes and plates (including fish and poultry bones)
- out-of-date food
What cannot go in your brown food waste caddy?
- plastic bag or wrapping
- plastic or polystyrene pots or trays
- tin foil or food containers
- cardboard packaging
- liquids like cooking oil or juice
- large meat bones
- garden waste
- glass or china
- pet mess, litter or bedding
Why food waste is important
We take food waste to an anaerobic digestion facility operated by Biogen (link opens in new window).
Here, it is mixed with pig slurry from a nearby farm and is heated to a high temperature to remove bacteria and make it safe. It is placed in a sealed vessel where the mixture breaks down and the methane gases produced are collected. Electricity is generated from the methane gas collected, which is fed back into the national grid.
The fertilizer produced is used on nearby farmland for crops; therefore, all your waste food will be recycled and used for good purposes.
If your waste bin or garden waste sacks are lost, damaged, or need replacing, please telephone 0300 300 8302 or email customers@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.