Food waste

Barnet food waste recycling service

From 30 March 2026, Barnet will reintroduce weekly food waste collections for all households. 

Before the service starts, all households in Barnet will receive:  

• a brown indoor kitchen caddy bin for collecting food scraps
• a brown outdoor food waste bin for weekly collection
• information on how to use the service.

Your kitchen caddy and outdoor bins will be delivered from January 2026 and will arrive with you before the service starts in March.

Whether you live in a house, flat, or above a shop, there’s a food waste recycling solution for you. You’ll receive a letter and leaflet with details tailored to your property type.

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• out-of-date food (remove packaging first).

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 Love Food Hate Waste, which includes a handy Food Waste Assistant. 

Win £100 supermarket voucher in our prize draw

To celebrate Recycling Week, we’re running a myth-busting prize draw, where you could win one of five £100 supermarket gift vouchers to spend on your food shop. Enter by 24 October 2025 for your chance to win. Read the prize draw Terms & Conditions. 

Enter prize draw now