• Most households that can receive a standard kerbside collection will have access to the new service from September/October 2027
• We will provide more information about collection dates closer to the launch

Before collections begin, eligible households will receive:

• A 7-litre kitchen caddy to help making collection of food waste in your kitchen simpler, easier and cleaner
• A 23-litre outdoor caddy with lockable lid to put out for collection by our crews
• An initial roll of compostable liners will be delivered with your caddies to get you started (see replacement liners)
• A service information leaflet

You can put the following food waste items into your caddy, without any packaging:

• All uneaten food, scraps and leftovers
• All meat, fish and bones (raw and cooked)
• Dairy products (cheese, eggs, yoghurt)
• Fruit and vegetables
• Bread, rice, pasta
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Pet food
• Food peelings, nut shells and fruit stones
• Mouldy or out-of-date food

Please do not place the following items in your food waste caddy:

• Packaging of any kind
• Liquids (milk, oil, fat)
• Garden waste or flowers
• Compostable products (except caddy liners)
• Animal waste or bedding

Food waste will be collected every week using specialist collection vehicles.

Collections will:

• Take place from 6.30am
• Be made on the same day as your rubbish and recycling collections
• Normally be collected from your existing collection point
• If you currently receive an assisted collection service, your food waste will be collected from the agreed collection location on your property.

We will provide updates on this website along with a postcode lookup closer to the time.

You'll also receive your food waste caddies before collections begin, along with information about:

• Your collection day
• When collections will start in your area
• How to use the service

Each household will receive an initial roll of 52 compostable liners with their food waste caddies.

Once these have been used, replacement liners will not be supplied by the council.

If you wish to continue using liners, you can purchase:

• Compostable caddy liners that meet BS EN 13432 standards or display the Seedling logo
• Paper food waste liners

These are widely available from supermarkets and other retailers.

The government is trying to make recycling as easy as possible for everyone, and under the Environment Act 2021 and the government's Simpler Recycling guidelines, all local authorities have a national requirement to collect food waste.

Collecting food waste separately will:

• Make it easier for residents to recycle more of their household waste
• Reduce the amount of food waste placed in general rubbish bins
• Help improve Herefordshire's recycling rate
• Ensure food waste is treated in a more sustainable way
• Analysis suggests around 6,500 tonnes of food waste could be collected each year once the service is fully established.

Collected food waste will be taken to one of our waste transfer stations before being transported for treatment through a process called anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion uses naturally occurring microorganisms to break down food waste in a sealed environment.

This process produces:

• Biogas, which can be used to generate electricity
• Nutrient-rich biofertiliser that can be used in agriculture
• Any digestate produced from Herefordshire's food waste will not be used within the River Wye or River Lugg catchment areas

While we're introducing food waste collections, reducing food waste remains the best environmental option.

We encourage residents to reduce the amount of food they throw away wherever possible.

Find out more about reducing food waste.

The council is legally required to provide a food waste collection service to all suitable households and will, therefore, deliver the food waste caddies, liners and information pack to eligible properties.

Using the service is encouraged, but household participation is not mandatory.

If you choose not to take part, the caddies should remain at the property. We will not be able to remove them, as they may be needed by future occupants or if you decide to use the service at a later date.

The Waste Management Team have actively been assessing flats and other communal properties across Herefordshire to identify the most appropriate way to provide food waste collections.

Where a property is suitable for a caddy-based collection service, residents will be given the opportunity to opt in.

For properties where a communal collection arrangement is more appropriate, collections may be introduced at a later stage. This allows time to carefully plan storage, access and collection arrangements.

Food waste collections were initially expected to begin in March 2026.

In May 2025, Cabinet approved the introduction of the service subject to sufficient government funding being made available.

The council remained committed to introducing food waste collections, but the timing and conditions attached to government funding meant that implementation plans needed to be reviewed to ensure they aligned with the funding arrangements.

In July 2026, following a review of the service implementation costs and options, Cabinet approved the introduction of weekly food waste collections from September/October 2027.