Brown food bins in Enfield are collected every week on your normal collection day.
You can use your brown bin to recycle your raw or cooked food waste.
All properties that have kerbside wheeled bins receive the free weekly food recycling service. All food waste should be recycled using this service. This replaces the previous mixed garden and food waste collection service.
What can go in your food bin
Things that can go in your brown food bin
- General food waste
- Cooked and uncooked food (including meat)
- Compostable liners (if they are 100% compostable with the seedling logo)
- Egg shells
- Fish and meat bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
You should not put these items in your brown food bin
- General rubbish (like packaging)
- Garden waste (including leaves, house plants and soil)
- Liquids (like oil or milk)
- Pet waste
- Plastic bags or liners (unless 100% compostable)
See our leaflet about brown food waste recycling (PDF, 1661.09 KB).
Indoor food caddies
To use your smaller indoor kitchen caddy, line the caddy with a 100% compostable liner or use newspaper or a compostable paper bag. You must not use plastic bags. All food waste, leftovers and kitchen scraps can be placed into the kitchen caddy.
Your kitchen caddy is for indoor use only and should not be placed out for collection.
Stopping smells and flies
Regularly cleaning your food bin will help to reduce bad smells, or the chance of finding flies or maggots. Use hot water or a fragranced cleaning product to regularly rinse your caddies. Your smaller silver kitchen caddy is dishwasher safe.
Follow these other tips to help keep your food bins clean:
- Put food waste in a 100% compostable liner, compostable paper bag, or wrap tightly in newspaper
- Squeeze the air out of compostable bags that contain food before they are tied and put in the outdoor caddy
- Keep caddy lids closed and secure using the handle
- Keep the caddy out of direct sunlight in hot weather to avoid heating the waste
- Do not leave food waste lying around the home before putting it in the caddy
Did you know - By recycling food waste you will be creating compost for agriculture, which is good for Enfield and the planet.