From February 2026, households across the district will benefit from a new weekly food waste collection service.
The introduction of this service is a significant step in tackling climate change, reducing waste, and complying with new government regulations that affect the whole country. It’s part of the Government's plan to make it easier for residents to recycle, improve recycling rates and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
In the Lancaster district, roughly 28% of waste thrown away in the general rubbish is food waste. Not only is this a waste of money and resources, but it is estimated to contribute 8-10% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
To celebrate the rollout of this new service we’re placing golden tickets in food caddies that correspondent to exciting prizes, including a £200 Love2shop voucher. Read on to find out more.
Everything you need to know to get started can be found on this page, including:
It’s easy to recycle your food waste. Simply follow the steps below:
Put a liner in your kitchen caddy then put your food waste in it.
Whenever you need to empty your kitchen caddy, remove the liner, tie the top and put it in your outdoor food waste recycling bin.You may find you need to empty your caddy before it is full.
Lock your outdoor food waste recycling bin by bringing the handle to the front.
Put your outdoor food waste recycling bin out the front of your property for collection by 7 am every week on the day we collect your waste or recycling.
Please make sure the handle is in the up position whilst locked to support our collections crews.
What food waste you can recycle
You can include all food waste from your home, including leftovers from meals, food that has gone past its use by date, and any other food waste, including:
Tea bags (including the bag) and coffee grounds
Fruit - raw and cooked
Salad and vegetables - raw and cooked
Vegetable and fruit peelings - including banana skins, cherry stones etc.
Bread, cakes and other baked goods
Pasta, rice, beans and pulses
Meat - raw and cooked, bones
Fish/shellfish - raw and cooked, including bones and shells
Eggs and egg products (including eggshells)
Dairy products (including cheese and yogurts)
Tinned and dry pet food
Small amounts of gravy, sauces or custard left on food
Any meal or take-away leftovers
Pet food
What can’t be recycled in the food waste bin
Please do not put any of the following in your food waste bins:
Liquids, such as milk and oils
Packaging (even if it states it is compostable)
Cardboard
Foil
Plastic film
Plastic bags (unless it is lining the caddy)
Glass
Other recycling
Garden waste (including cut flowers)
Reasons to recycle your food waste
Your collection will be easy and convenient.
You will have more space in your household bin for non-recyclable waste.
Food waste will no longer sit in bins waiting to be collected for two weeks, so there will be less smell from your grey bins and outdoor food waste bins are easier to clean if they get grubby.
You’ll notice how you are producing waste and ways to eliminate it, such as purchasing small quantities, using meal planners, batch cooking, freezing and gifting food — which could save you money.
Together with residents across the country, you will help to reduce the large amount of waste that ends up in landfill or incineration that could instead be converted into fertiliser, or biofuel to create energy.
When food waste is sent to landfill it doesn’t harmlessly breakdown. It has a big impact on the environment as it rots and releases methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Likewise, as food waste is 70% water, sending food waste for incineration requires more energy to burn so recycling is a more efficient method of disposal.
Your food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestion facility at Farington Waste Recovery Park in Leyland where it is broken down to produce biogas — a source of renewable energy that can generate electricity.
In the process, a digestate which is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil is produced and can be used by farmers as a soil fertiliser.
Golden tickets
We’re celebrating the rollout of this new service by placing golden tickets in food caddies that correspondent to exciting prizes, including a £200 Love2shop voucher.
To find out more, including the range of prizes available, please visit our Golden Tickets page.
Using the kitchen caddy for food waste is no different to having food waste in your current kitchen bin. The kitchen caddy has a lid which is lockable and will help contain any potential smells.
We will also provide you with liners to use in in the kitchen caddy to help keep your bin clean.
You can empty the kitchen caddy into the external food waste caddy as regularly as you wish to prevent smells in your kitchen.
The food waste will be collected in a 23-litre container specifically designed to be pest and fox-resistant, featuring a lockable lid to help prevent access.
Remember there is no amount too small. The best thing we can do with our food is enjoy it but some waste like orange peel, tea bags and bones are unavoidable and can all be recycled.
The government has made it mandatory for councils to collect food waste from all households, so all households will receive the food waste starter package.
Recycling food waste in your food waste bin helps to reduce the amount of household waste in your grey bin.
It is also much better for the environment as it means food waste is not going to landfill or being incinerated.
If you do not separate your food waste as requested, you may be issued with a legal notice formally requiring you to do so. You would receive a fine if you did not comply with the notice.
We’ve found the visibility of the previous green outdoor food waste recycling bin for our crews is poor, so you’ll need to use the new silver ones that we are delivering.
You can either choose to repurpose your old container for something else, or you can contact us to arrange a collection and it we’ll send it to be recycled.
Our email is wastechanges@lancaster.gov.uk
We suggest you accept the new kitchen food waste caddy, as a spare is always handy whilst washing one up or if your current one is full when the weather is too unpleasant to venture out to your compost bin.
We’re delighted that you compost your food waste as this significantly reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfill. We need more people like you sharing your expertise with friends and neighbours to encourage others to get composting.
We understand that you may not use your food bin as much as other people—or at all—due to composting, but we want to ensure that if your compost bin is full or if you experience any mobility issues/needs change, that you have everything you need to use this service — to avoid any food waste going to landfill.
A spare caddy is always handy whilst washing one up or if your current one is full when the weather is too unpleasant to venture out to your compost bin.
It’s very quick and simple to do and there’s lots of benefits, like more space in your grey bins and less smells as your food waste will be collected weekly.
You’ll also help reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill or incineration sites.
Shockingly, 70% of food waste is produced in households.
We understand that many properties already struggle with space, particularly those with smaller terraced gardens. Food Waste is mandatory, and we have specifically chosen smaller bins with a carry handle to help with storage. The outdoor caddy is around 1/10th of the size of your other outdoor bins.
The indoor kitchen caddy is small and will fit on a kitchen counter, under the sink or in a cupboard. People can use their own indoor container if they prefer something more stylish or fits better into the kitchen.
We appreciate your efforts to help increase the amount of rubbish which is recycled in our district.
Funding for more liners is yet to be determined. As it is not necessary to use biodegradable liners, you can line your kitchen caddy with any type of plastic bag.
Our liners are made of polythene, making them non-biodegradable, but they are made of recycled materials.
You can use biodegradable liners in your kitchen caddy if you wish but it is not necessary because once the bags are mechanically split open, they are separated and turned into refuse-derived fuel — instead of being processed with food waste, which requires a different process.
If you don’t want to use liners, that is okay. Although, you will need to wash out your caddy and potentially your outdoor food waste bin more regularly to avoid smells.
Food waste will be sent for anaerobic digestion — a different process which converts organic waste in an oxygen-free environment into biogas and digestate
Garden waste is sent for composting in Lancashire, and the facility does not accept food waste. Food waste will be sent for anaerobic digestion, a different process which converts organic waste in an oxygen-free environment into biogas and digestate. The digestate can then be safely used as a nutrient rich fertiliser to enhance soil fertility and help crop growth.
Our assisted bin collection service is designed to support residents who are unable to move their bins and boxes to the kerbside.
To be eligible, there must not be a family member, carer or anyone living at your property who can present your bin for collection and or return it to the property.
The quickest way to apply is by completing our online form, which is sent directly to the waste team, or telephone customer services on 01524 582491.
If you already have assisted collection, the food waste caddies will be added automatically.
If your outdoor food waste bin is lost, the quickest way to report this to get a replacement by filling in our online form but you can also call customer services on 01524 582491.
If by 6pm we have not collected your waste, you should report it as a missed bin, and we will aim to return for a collection within three working days. Please leave your bin/box or sack out until we collect it.
Household food waste recycling will make a big difference as shockingly 70% of all food waste is created in the home.
Workplaces with 10 or more full-time employees are already required to separate food waste to comply with Government legislation, with micro-firms set to participate by 31 March 2027. So, we really are all on this journey together.
We collect all the waste and recycling across the district, however after collection, all waste goes to Lancashire County Council for disposal and recycling.
It is projected that the food waste collected across the county will produce enough electricity to not only run the food waste facilities, but to operate the whole of Lancashire County Council’s Farington Waste Recovery Park — saving the county council just over £4m a year.
The decision to end the mixed food waste and garden waste collection service in 2014 was made by Lancashire County Council — the Waste Disposal Authority — as there were more cost-effective options available to deal with green waste if the food waste was removed.
As this is now a statutory government requirement, Lancashire County Council has recycling centre can now process this.
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