We collect food waste every week on the same day that we collect your general waste or recycling. It is collected using a different vehicle, so your food waste bin may be emptied at a different time from your other waste.
Recycling food waste saves energy and money, so the more food we recycle, the better it is for the environment and for Council taxpayers.
If you use communal waste bins or live in certain housing blocks or estates, you will receive new communal food waste facilities at a later date.
Your food waste bin
We provide households with a small indoor food waste bin and a larger outdoor food waste bin.
Your small indoor bin
Most people keep this bin in the kitchen so it is easy to scrape leftovers from plates straight into it.
You can line this bin with a compostable liner (available from many supermarkets) or with a sheet of newspaper. Never use plastic bags. Food waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
You can buy discounted liners for 50p a roll at outlets across the District. These liners are available for a limited time as part of a Kent County Council pilot scheme.
Your outdoor bin
Every few days, or when your indoor bin is full, empty its contents, including the liner, into your outdoor food waste bin. Lock the lid by putting the handle in the down position.
Put your outdoor food waste bin at the edge of your property, close to the road, or at your agreed collection point by 7am on your usual collection day.
Find out where to present your food waste bin if you live in New Ash Green.
- Let us know if you need to order new food waste bins
- If you are unable to put your bin out for collection and return it afterwards due to health or mobility reasons, you can apply for an assisted collection.
- Report a missed collection.
What goes in your food waste bin
All cooked and raw food, including:
- Leftovers
- Out-of-date and mouldy food
- Meat and fish bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Egg and nut shells
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Pet food
Do not put plastic bags or food packaging in your food waste bin.
Watch our video to find out more:
Turning your food waste into energy
About 30% of our household waste, by weight, is made up of cooked and raw food. All the food waste we collect is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where bacteria break down the food to produce natural biogas.
The gas is captured and used for cooking, electricity generation and other purposes. It even powers the anaerobic digestion plant. This is a renewable form of energy that is better for the environment than fossil fuels.
The process also creates high-quality fertiliser, making anaerobic digestion one of the most sustainable waste treatment methods available.
Food waste collections save taxpayers' money
Recycling food waste costs a fraction of the cost of disposing of it with your general waste. Kent County Council saves approximately £130 for every tonne of food waste sent to an anaerobic digestion plant instead of being incinerated.
We are aiming to collect at least 5,000 tonnes of food waste every year, saving Kent County Council around £650,000 annually.