Food Waste Collection Services

Food Waste is coming to West Lancs in March 2026.  

The national scheme means all Local Authorities have to provide residents with a weekly food waste recycling collection service. The scheme has been rolled out in many towns and cities across the UK and will be introduced in West Lancashire at the end of March 2026.  

How will it work?  

I live in a property where I have my own bin:  

Each home will be provided with an indoor and an outdoor caddy. The indoor one will be small enough to fit in your kitchen. You could place it on your kitchen worktop, on top of your fridge or in a cupboard.  

Your larger outdoor caddy will be stored with your other external bins.  

I live in a property that has communal bins:  

If you live in a property and share an external communal bin with your neighbour(s), there will be a new 240 litre external communal bin provided for food waste. You will also be given an indoor caddy. The indoor one will be small enough to fit in your kitchen. You could place it on your kitchen worktop, on top of your fridge or in a cupboard. 

Your caddies will be delivered to you in the new year. Please make sure you store your caddies safely; we will notify you when collections start.   

What you can put in your caddy  

Putting the wrong items in your caddy, contaminates the collection. If your food waste is contaminated, we will not be able to collect it. Check out the list below to see what you can put in your caddy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is food waste being introduced?
All Councils must provide a weekly food waste collection as part of a national government simpler recycling scheme. Food waste is already successfully collected in many towns and cities across the country. The service starts in West Lancashire on 31 March 2026.

For more information on the Government’s Simpler Recycling scheme visit Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England - GOV.UK

You can find out more information on how your food waste impacts climate change by visiting lovefoodhatewaste.com

How will it work?
Every household across West Lancashire will be provided with two caddy bins – one internal and one external.

If you live in a property that has its own bins you will receive a 23 Litre outdoor caddy which locks when the handle is lifted and should be presented at your usual collection point. You will also receive a 7 Litre indoor caddy and liners. When you run out of caddy liners, tie a liner to the handle of your outside food waste caddy and you will be provided a new roll of liners.

If you live in a property and share an external communal bin with your neighbours, you will receive a 7 Litre indoor caddy and liners. A new 240 Litre communal bin will also be delivered, and this will be stored with your other communal bins for weekly collections.

Why does food waste need to be collected separately?
Around 10 million tonnes of food is thrown away across the UK each year — with households responsible for 6.6 million tonnes of that total. By introducing a separate food waste collection in West Lancashire, we can cut our greenhouse gas footprint, create renewable energy and produce nutrient‑rich fertiliser to support farming.

What is food waste?
Food waste is food that we don’t end up eating and gets throw away. This can be edible food, plate scrapings or from preparing food, down to food that has gone out of date and is no longer edible.

Did you know that UK households waste 6.6 million tonnes of food every year! 4.5 million tonnes of that are food that could have been eaten. The rest is inedible food that we can’t eat such as teabags, eggshells and bones. Households account for 70% of food waste in the UK and the rest is from producers, factories, supermarkets, restaurants and other businesses.

What can I do to help reduce the amount of food waste?
Plan meals ahead of going shopping, store food correctly to keep it fresh for longer, rotate the food in the fridge and use the shortest expiry dates first, repurpose leftover food and have them the next day or find recipes to reuse leftovers.

For more information on how to reduce the amount of food waste visit lovefoodhatewaste.com

What if I don’t produce any food waste?
There is no amount too small. Some food waste is unavoidable and any food waste you have can still be recycled. Did you know you can recycle teabags, eggshells, coffee granules and bones.

I don’t have time to recycle food waste. Why should I take part?
It's quick and simple to do, instead of placing your food waste in your usual bin, just pop it into your internal caddy. Food waste sent to landfill rots and releases methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas. By recycling food waste, you're helping to reduce methane for a greener Lancashire.

Can I opt out of food waste collections?
Food waste collections are now mandatory for Councils, and we encourage everyone to take part as even small actions make a big difference. Weekly collections mean your food waste spends less time in the bin, helping to reduce smells and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Recycling food waste also helps protect the planet by cutting methane emissions and turning leftovers into green energy and fertiliser.

How do I get a food waste bin?
New internal and external caddy bins are being delivered to all households across West Lancashire in the coming weeks, ready for collections to start 31 March 2026. Look out for yours and store it safely until the collections start.

My relative who lives in another area of West Lancashire has received their caddy, but I haven’t, what should I do?
Deliveries are taking place in different areas across the Borough, right up to when collections start.

Where do I get the caddy liners?
Liners will be delivered with the caddies to be used in the indoor caddy. Once the liner is full, tie it and place into the outdoor caddy. You can also use normal plastic bags in your internal caddy as they get separated from the food waste at the recycling centre.

What happens when I run out of caddy liners?
You can request a new roll by tying a liner round the handle of your outdoor caddy. If you share an external communal caddy, tie a liner around the handle of the external communal bin. Our collection crew will leave new liners when they empty your external caddy or communal bin. Caddy liners can also be collected from one of the Council’s Customer Service Points:

• 52 Derby Street, Ormskirk, L39 2DF
  The opening hours are Monday – Thursday 9:00am – 5:00pm & Friday 9:00am – 4:45pm.
• Unit 142, Concourse Shopping Centre, Skelmersdale, WN8 6LN
  The opening hours are Tuesday – Thursday 10:00am – 3:00pm

Are the caddies durable? What do I do if it breaks?
The caddies are manufactured from a durable recycled plastic and are supplied by a trusted market leader in waste containers who also supply to other local authorities. When the caddy contains food waste, the weight of the waste should prevent the caddy from blowing over. The caddy handle, when locked, should also prevent any food waste spillages. Placing your external caddy in between your larger refuse and recycling bins will also help.

If your external caddy is damaged once the food waste collections start, you can report it via our website, click here for more information.

Should I number my caddy?
Yes. Please put your house number on your external caddy. This helps prevent your caddy going missing and makes it easier to find after collection.

When will the food waste collections start?
Weekly food waste collections will start from 31 March 2026. Your collection will take place on the same day that we collect your general waste (grey bin/bag) and recycling (green and blue bins). If you present your food waste before the 31 March 2026, we will not be able to collect it.

I have received my new food waste caddies, what should I do with them now?
Please store your new caddies safely until the collections start on 31 March 2026.

Can I present my external caddy before the launch date?
Please don’t present your external caddy before the launch date as it will not be collected. Once the collections start, present your external caddy on the same day that we collect your general waste (grey bin/bag) and recycling (green and blue bins).

How often will the collections be?
Collections will take place weekly on the same day we collect your general waste (grey bin/bag) and recycling (green and blue bins).

What if I am on an assisted collection?
Your assisted collection will also include your food waste caddy. You do not need to apply for a food waste collection.

Will there be any changes to other bin collections?
There are no planned changes to other bin collection dates.

What can I recycle in the food waste bin?
You can recycle all your food waste, including the following:

• Food waste – all uneaten food and plate scrapings
• Dairy – milk, yoghurt, cheese
• Bread & Pastries – bread, cakes, pastries
• Meat & Bones – raw meat, cooked meat, bones
• Tea & Coffee Grounds – tea bags, coffee grounds
• Fruit & Vegetables – raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, whole fruit, peelings
• Fish – fish, cooked fish, bones
• Other – rice, pasta, beans, eggs

What can’t I recycle in the food waste bin?
Please do not put any of these materials in your caddy:

• Packaging of any kind
• Liquids such as milk
• Oil or liquid fat
• Any material that is not food waste e.g. plastic packaging.
• Animal waste
• Flowers or Garden waste - For more information about garden waste subscriptions visit our webpage: Garden waste - West Lancashire Borough Council

Will the internal caddy smell?
Not if you empty the caddy regularly and tie the liner or bag.

Will the external caddy smell and attract pests?
The outdoor caddy has a sealed, lockable lid to help stop smells and pests. Placing food waste into your outdoor caddy is just the same as it being stored in your grey bin, but with the extra benefit of it getting collected weekly. By choosing to recycle food waste, you're reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.

I don’t have space for an indoor caddy. What should I do?
Many people keep it under the sink, next to the kitchen bin or on the worktop. You can also use your own internal container if it fits your space better.

Why should I recycle food waste?
Recycling your food waste will help to support a sustainable economy, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate climate change. The waste produces biogas - a renewable energy source. Your household bin will be cleaner and less full as food waste collections will be weekly.

What happens to the food waste?
When recycled, food waste can be turned into something useful. Your food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility where it is used to generate natural forms of energy, such as biogas, an alternative to energy from fossil fuels and a fertiliser which can be used in farming.

How can I find out more about food waste collections?
We will continue to update you through our social media channels as well as the Council website, so please check back for updates, click here.

A number of community events will be taking place to ensure all residents are aware of the new food waste collection service. You will be able to meet Council employees and ask any questions about the scheme. The table below shows our event dates so far, more dates will be added so keep an eye out for updates if you would like to find out more about the scheme:

We’re also attending schools across the Borough to help them get involved in food waste recycling and learn new ways of reducing their food waste footprint!

How much is it costing council taxpayers to introduce this scheme?
Food waste recycling is part of the Government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ initiative and is being funded by Central Government.

We will continue to update this webpage so please check back for updates. We will be sharing updates in a variety of ways to make sure all residents are informed of the new food waste collection service.