Are You Recycling Food Waste Correctly This Christmas? Here’s What You Need to Know

With Christmas festivities in full swing, Cornwall Council is urging residents to make use of their food waste caddies for disposing of festive food scraps. From turkey bones to veg peelings, recycling your food waste helps reduce landfill and benefits the environment.

Festive Food Waste Reminders

To ensure smooth collection over the holiday period, Cornwall Council will accept extra food waste if your outdoor caddy fills up. Simply place additional waste in a compostable liner, put it on top of your outdoor caddy, and leave it out on your regular collection day.

Here’s what you can recycle in your food waste caddy:
✔️ Uneaten food and plate scrapings
✔️ Dairy products, cheese, eggs, and eggshells
✔️ Bread, cakes, and pastries
✔️ Raw and cooked meat, including bones
✔️ Tea bags, coffee grounds, and non-biodegradable tea bags
✔️ Raw and cooked vegetables, fruit, and peelings
✔️ Raw and cooked fish, including bones
✔️ Rice, pasta, and beans
✔️ Uneaten wet and dry pet food (excluding pet waste)

What Not to Include

To keep the system running smoothly, avoid adding the following items to your food waste caddy:
✘ Plastic carrier bags and food packaging
✘ Non-compostable caddy liners or biodegradable packaging
✘ Garden waste
✘ Nappies, pet waste, or clinical waste
✘ Hard-shelled shellfish such as mussel or clam shells
✘ Large amounts of liquid, including milk or oils

For a full list of acceptable and non-acceptable items, visit Cornwall Council’s food recycling page.

How to Use Your Food Caddy

1. Line Your Kitchen Caddy: Use a compostable liner or newspaper to keep it clean. Starter packs of liners were provided, and additional liners can be purchased at supermarkets.
2. Transfer Waste: Regularly empty your kitchen caddy into your outdoor green collection caddy.
3. Secure the Lid: Ensure the handle is pulled forward to securely close the lid.
4. Collection Day: Place your green food waste caddy at the property boundary or collection point by 7 am on your collection day.

Food waste is collected weekly, even though recycling and rubbish collections occur fortnightly on alternating weeks.

Recycling and Rubbish Collections

On recycling weeks, food waste is collected alongside:

• Cardboard and paper
• Plastic and metal packaging
• Glass and textiles

On rubbish weeks, food waste may be collected earlier or later than your usual rubbish collection.

What to Do About Missed Collections

Cornwall Council advises reporting a missed collection only after confirming both rubbish and food waste vehicles have passed through your area.

For more details on food waste recycling and collection schedules, visit Cornwall Council’s website.

Start recycling your festive food waste today and contribute to a greener Cornwall!