Food waste

If your local council provides a food waste collection service where you live, this can be added to your food waste bin. Find out more about food waste collection services by visiting the food waste recycling information page (opens in a new window).

Items that can be recycled

• All uneaten and leftover food and plate scrapings
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Out of date or mouldy food, removed from packaging
• Raw and cooked meat, including bones and chicken carcasses
• Raw and cooked fish, including bones
• Dairy products such as cheese, but nothing liquid, like milk
• Eggs and egg shells
• Rice, pasta, beans and noodles
• Baked goods such as bread, biscuits, cakes and pastries
• Fruit and vegetables, including raw and cooked vegetables, peelings, skins and fruit stones
• Pet food

Items that cannot be recycled

• Non-food products, including nappies (even if biodegradable)
• Packaging of any kind
• Any material that is not food waste, including paper such as tissue paper, newspaper and card
• Liquids such as milk - these may leak, causing spillages when transporting the food waste
• Oil and liquid fat
• Plastic bags or film
• Garden waste, including wood

Most of north London's food waste goes to an anaerobic digestion facility. The rest gets turned into compost along with north London's garden waste.