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Food waste collections

The Council will start a food waste collection service from Spring 2026.

The collections will be weekly and will serve every home in Plymouth.

It means that residents will be able to separate leftovers and peelings from rubbish bound for the brown bin, allowing this waste to be processed separately and converted into renewable energy.

How will the service work?

Before the service begins, households will be provided with two containers:

  • A small kitchen caddy to make separating your food waste from your rubbish easy
  • A larger outdoor caddy for storing your food waste and putting it out for collection

Some residents who live in flats, apartment blocks or houses of multiple occupation will be provided with a communal external bin, instead of individual outdoor caddies.

What will I be able to put into my food waste bins?

  • All uneaten food and plate scrapings
  • Tea bags – biodegradable and non-biodegradable accepted
  • Coffee grounds
  • Out of date or mouldy food
  • Raw and cooked meat, including bones
  • Raw and cooked fish, including skin and bones
  • Shellfish and seafood shells
  • Dairy products such as cheese
  • Eggs and eggshells
  • Rice, pasta and beans
  • Baked goods such as bread, cakes and pastries
  • Fruit and vegetables, including raw and cooked vegetables and peelings and cut flowers
  • Pet food waste

Will this affect the frequency of other waste collections?

There are no plans to change the frequency of green and brown bin collections as a result of the new service. 

What are the next steps?

We are now in the process of lining up the required infrastructure to run the service, including the purchase of the caddies and new refuse vehicles.

Prior to the service beginning, an extensive public engagement programme will be rolled out across the city to ensure that residents know how the service will work.