Food Waste
Items you can include in your food waste caddy include:
- all leftovers, including pet food and plate scrapings
- dairy, cheese and eggs (including shells)
- bread and pastries
- pasta and rice
- meat, bones and carcasses
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- fish bones and carcasses
For more information on what you can include in your caddy, check our A-Z guide or the Recycling Info section on the East Herts app.
If you are using a liner for your caddy, please ensure it has the seedling logo which means they are composting-compliant.
Reducing food waste
More than 80% of food waste is avoidable. The main reasons for throwing away food are:
- buying, cooking or preparing too much
- forgetting to freeze or chill food to use later
- forgetting what food is in the cupboards
Visit Love Food Hate Waste for ideas, inspiration and recipes to help you reduce your food waste.
Warm weather tips
During warmer weather there may be an increase in the likelihood of flies being attracted to uncovered food waste. To reduce the chance of maggots developing in your waste try these tips:
- Don’t leave any food, including pet food, uncovered for prolonged periods. It can attract flies which may then lay eggs on food before it goes in the bin, and in warm weather the eggs can hatch within 24 hours.
- Empty your kitchen caddy more regularly during warm weather.
- Give your kitchen caddy a wipe down between bag-changes to remove spills.
- Ensure you use the locking mechanism on both your kitchen and kerbside caddies to keep them sealed.
- Squeeze out the air from your liners and tie them tightly before putting into your kerbside caddy to help reduce odours.
You can find a number of simple options online for dealing with maggots, including using essential oils as deterrents.