Food waste
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- Barnet food waste recycling service
- Using the food waste recycling service
- What can and can’t be recycled in your brown bin
- Watch our video about food waste recycling in Barnet
- Doing our bit in Barnet: why food waste recycling matters
- The myths about food waste recycling
- Tips to reduce your food waste
Barnet food waste recycling service
On 30 March 2026, Barnet reintroduced the weekly food waste collections for all households.
All households in Barnet should have now received:
- a brown 7‑litre indoor kitchen caddy bin for collecting food scraps
- one sample roll of 52 liners
- a brown outdoor food waste bin for weekly collection
- information on how to use the service.
Collections will take place on your normal bin collection day.
If the information on food waste items that can be collected is not showing clearly on the lid of your kitchen caddy please call us on 0208 359 4600 or email foodwaste@barnet.gov.uk.
Using the food waste recycling service
Houses should've now received an individual 23‑litre outdoor food waste bin. Food waste will be collected weekly, usually on the same day as your other recycling and waste collections. Place your outdoor food waste bin at the property boundary on collection day with the lid locked using the handle in the fully closed position. To view your recycling day, please use our bin collection date checker.
Most collection days will stay the same. However some households, particularly those on main A roads such as Watford Way, may need a different vehicle for collections. If this affects your property, the council will contact you directly with details of the changes.
Flats and multi‑occupancy buildings will have a tailored solution, such as communal bins or shared caddies. Building managers and residents have been contacted with instructions.
Food waste will be collected weekly, usually on the same day as other recycling and waste collections. Residents should continue to present bins as they normally do or leave them in the bin store or designated collection point.
To view your recycling day, please use our bin collection date checker.
We are happy to offer assisted collections for the new food waste service. You can apply for an assisted food waste collection on the Assisted bin collection page.
Food bins will be delivered to all households as part of meeting our statutory requirements. Most of the old containers that may have been kept by residents were issued in 2013, so are now over 12 years old and would therefore have a shorter remaining lifespan than new containers.
If you still have the old containers from the previous service, you can:
- reuse them when the new service starts and keep your new containers as spares for when the old containers reach end of life
- take them to Summers Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre (N12 0RF)
- dispose of them in your refuse bins.
Using liners in your kitchen caddy and emptying it regularly into your outdoor or communal food waste bin will help reduce smells. Kitchen caddies are dishwasher safe.
Outdoor food waste bins have lockable lids designed to help prevent access by wildlife, including foxes.
Resident letter: You can view the full letter sent to all households with information about your new food waste collection service.
Food waste leaflet: read a simple guide to using your new kitchen and outdoor caddies, including what can and cannot be recycled.
What can and can’t be recycled in your brown bin
✅ Yes please - you can put these in your food waste caddy:
- leftover food and plate scrapings
- fruit and vegetables (raw or cooked, including peelings)
- meat and fish (raw or cooked, including bones)
- dairy products such as cheese and eggs (including eggshells)
- bread, cakes, biscuits, rice, pasta and cereals
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- out-of-date food (remove packaging first).
- packaging of any kind (plastic, cardboard, foil, clingfilm)
- liquids such as milk, oil or fats
- garden waste, soil or wood
- nappies or sanitary products
- pet litter or bedding.
Tip: Line your caddy with compostable liners to keep it clean.
Doing our bit in Barnet: why food waste recycling matters
Barnet is on a journey to become a cleaner, greener borough. By working together, we can reach our net zero ambitions by 2042.
From 30 March 2026, your food waste will be collected separately and recycled into:
- clean energy (electricity and heat to power homes)
- nutrient-rich fertiliser for local farmland.
By separating your food waste, you’ll help:
- cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions
- keep household bins cleaner and less full
- save money.
This change is part of the council's commitment to introducing the service in support of a new national law that will make household food waste collection mandatory by next April. Simpler Recycling in England: policy update - GOV.UK.
Across the UK, nearly 60% of household waste is food waste. Together, we can change that here in Barnet. By doing your bit, you’ll be helping to recycle your waste more efficiently and reduce your overall waste.
The myths about food waste recycling
There are lots of myths about food waste recycling. Let’s set the record straight:
- Myth 1 Food waste recycling smells worse than putting it in the bin.
Fact: Using the caddy with a liner keeps smells contained. Weekly separate collections mean less odour, not more. - Myth 2 It’s too much hassle.
Fact: It’s as simple as scraping your plate into a caddy - just like putting things in the bin. - Myth 3 Food waste just ends up in landfill anyway.
Fact: In Barnet, your food waste will be taken to a special facility and turned into clean energy and fertiliser. - Myth 4 Only raw fruit and veg can be recycled.
Fact: You can recycle cooked and uncooked food, meat, fish, bones, dairy, bread, pasta, rice and more.
Tips to reduce your food waste
Seeing the amount of food wasted in your caddy, could help you waste less food in the first place, with families saving up to £1,000 a year. Take action to reduce your food waste today:
- plan meals and make shopping lists to avoid buying too much and save money too
- store food properly so it lasts longer (for example put bread in the freezer or apples in the fridge)
- love your leftovers, use up cooked food for lunches and quick dinners.
For a wide range of tips and hints visit our Reducing food waste page.
Name our food waste vehicle competition
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our recent food waste vehicle naming competition. The competition has now closed. We were delighted to receive an incredible 472 entries, showcasing the creativity and humour of our residents in Barnet.
The winner will be announced soon.