Food waste collection

What is food waste?

Food waste is any food we don’t eat. Some food waste is inevitable, such as banana peels, tea bags, and other non-edible items. It could be thrown in office bins, make up your commercial kitchen waste or be waste from your shop. Other kinds include leftover bits and by-products from the food production line, and stuff that’s past its sell-by date.

Types of food waste can include:

• By-products from food and drink production
• Leftover food from restaurants, cafes, and food preparation
• Unsellable food in shops and supermarkets

The best way to reduce food waste is to try and eat it all. Realistically, this isn’t always possible, so it’s essential you arrange food waste disposal in a way that is not going to harm the environment.

What should you not put in your food waste bin?

It might sound obvious but there are some things people accidentally or unknowingly put in a food waste bin. This can lead to contamination, meaning your food waste recycling might be refused. Do not put anything not classed as food waste in your bin, including the following:

• Liquids – such as milk
• Oils and liquid fat
• Food packaging and wrappers
• Garden waste
• Animal litter or bedding

How do you dispose of food waste in the UK?

There are a few options for food waste disposal for your business. Food waste composting is a good idea if your company has the space and equipment on its premises. This is the natural process of organically breaking down food scraps into fertilizer that enriches plants and soil. It’s best for small amounts of food waste.

If you have a lot of waste food, then an alternative is to use Bins.co.uk to arrange food waste collection. Anything you cannot eat or compost at work is taken to a recycling centre and converted into fertiliser or soil improver.

This means your food waste is recycled and doesn’t go to waste. It can also be used to generate electricity, which is simply fed back into the national grid.

What happens to food waste?

There are two main ways food waste is recycled:

• In-vessel composting – food waste mixes with garden waste and is then shredded, composted in an enclosed system for a few weeks, and then left to mature for up to three months. It’s then used as a high-quality soil conditioner after the maturing process completes.
• Anaerobic digestion – microorganisms break down any food waste. It’s also done within an enclosed system but without alcohol. As food waste breaks down, it gives off methane gas, which is converted into biogas. This is used to generate electricity or transport fuels. Or, it can be used as fertiliser due to its nutrient-rich digestate.

Food waste bins weight limits

You can get a food waste bin that holds 240 litres with a weight limit of 80kg. You can arrange for one or more of this bin to be delivered to your premises to fill and then be collected.

It’s also possible to get general waste bins that are 660 litres or 1100 litres in size and can hold some food waste alongside other types of general waste.

Food waste facts

The UK produces around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste each year. Nearly a third of this is inedible food but the other two thirds are intended to be eaten. The majority of this (6.6 million tonnes) came from households but the rest was from the commercial sector2:

• Manufacturing – 5 million tonnes
• Hospitality and food service – 1 million tonnes
• Retail industry – 3 million tonnes

Not only does this contribute more than 25 mega tonnes greenhouse gas emissions but it has a financial value of around £19 billion a year.

Sadly, a lot of this ends up in landfill sites, where it contributes to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the largest contributor being methane. Food waste statistics show that if we ate all the food wasted, the amount of CO2 we’d save on its production would be the equivalent of removing 10 million (or 1 in 3) cars from UK roads3.

Why is it important to reduce food waste?

If we fail to reduce food waste, it will have a serious environmental impact. Encouraging proper food waste recycling by businesses across all sectors is essential to ensure any unavoidable refuse ends up being reused rather than going to landfill. Simply cutting out as much food waste as possible is the best course of action though.

UK food waste also needs reducing to save businesses money. The exact costs of food waste management depends on your business, but it can cost restaurants around £682 million a year. In the home it’s estimated it costs an average family around £60 per month and is also a big waste of resources.

When we consider the labour, transportation and electricity used when sourcing and packaging food too, this is all wasted as well if the food gets thrown away. For example, cheese won’t decompose in a landfill site. Instead, it will rot, produce methane, and contribute to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

How to reduce food waste in your business

Avoid wasting food across your business in the first place to easily combat the issue. Encourage employees to use up all their food, take home any leftovers or recycle properly – rather than throwing into general waste.

Somethings you can try to reduce food waste at your company include:

• Introduce food waste bins – This allows you to separate your food waste, so you know what you can use for composting and what needs recycling.
• Composting food waste – Convert your food waste into nutrient-rich fertiliser for your garden, if you have one through inexpensive food composting to minimise waste.
• Commercial food waste collection – Make a difference by recycling your edible and inedible rubbish with professional food waste collection. We have a zero to landfill policy, ensuring your food waste is reused in an environmentally friendly way.

Arrange food waste collection today

Contact us today for a food waste disposal quote online in minutes. We’ll deliver you free food waste bins of a size and amount you need – you just pay for collection. Our flexible food waste solutions mean you can easily get rid of any excess food with ease.

Get a quote for food waste collection

Food waste recycling: FAQs

Can you put food waste in general waste?

Small amounts of food waste can go in a general waste bin – such as leftover kitchen scraps. However, if you have a lot of food waste you should arrange to get a standalone food waste bin. You cannot fill a general waste bin with just food waste.

Can all food waste be composted?

No, not all food waste is compostable. While you can add fruit, vegetables, grains and more to a compost pile, food items such as dairy products and meats should generally be avoided, especially if you have a worm compost bin. The general rule is – if it’s grown in a field or garden then you can compost it.

Can paper towels go in food waste?

No – used or unused paper towels cannot go in food waste. Dry unused paper towels can be thrown in with dry mixed recycling, while any used paper towels should go in with general waste.