Turn your food waste into something useful!
Almost half of what’s in the average household kerbside bin in Staffordshire isn’t rubbish at all. It’s food!
Throughout 2026, all households in Staffordshire will receive a weekly food waste kerbside collection service.
Once launched you will be able to recycle your food waste every week from home, thanks to a new service we are required to roll-out, as part of the government’s Simpler Recycling initiative.
Separating food waste allows your food waste to be:
• Recycled into renewable energy more efficiently
• Turned into fertiliser for farming
• Managed in a way that reduces environmental impact
• Processed through a dedicated system designed specifically for food waste
This will be happening in all eight Staffordshire districts and boroughs.
To help you use the service, your local council will deliver all households:
• A small kitchen food waste caddy
• A larger outdoor food waste caddy
• A set of liners
Find out when the new service is starting in your district or borough [LINK]
Why is this happening?
Food waste makes up about half of everyone’s household kerbside bin waste here in Staffordshire.
Unless you compost at home, your food waste goes into your kerbside bin and is sent to an ‘energy from waste plant’ where it is incinerated.
However, food waste can be recycled in an even more sustainable way.
This service brings all of Staffordshire into line with national recycling requirements and supports an even more sustainable waste system.
This is a UK-wide change, not a local decision. It forms part of the government’s plans to reduce landfill, cut emissions and improve recycling across the country. The government's ‘Simpler Recycling’ initiative requires that all local councils roll out a food waste service.
Together, we can turn food waste into renewable energy and fertiliser and waste less food in the first place.
The Local Reality: Half Your Bin Isn’t Rubbish
Our latest Staffordshire Waste Composition Analysis from May 2025 shows:
- 48% of residual (general) waste is food waste
- That’s 3.7kg per household every week
- Much of it could have been eaten
Across the UK, households waste 6 million tonnes of food every year and around 73% of that could have been eaten, according to latest figures from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
For a family of four, that’s around £1,000 worth of food thrown away every year.
In Staffordshire alone, reducing food waste could unlock up to £1 million in savings, alongside significant environmental benefits.
When food is sent to the general waste bin, it’s a wasted resource.
By using your new weekly food waste caddy, you are turning leftovers into renewable energy to power our communities and into fertiliser for farms and parks.
It’s a small change in the kitchen that makes a massive difference for our county.
It’s time to turn your food waste into something useful.
Ready to start?
Find your weekly collection date
What goes in your food waste caddy?