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Councils in England must now collect food waste separately from most households, which means the kitchen has to deal with more waste streams than it did a few years ago. This article covers what the rules require, how to lay out a small kitchen so that sorting is quick, and what to buy before and after checking what your own council wants.
What the rules require
Under Simpler Recycling in England, the government's default for most households is four containers: residual (non-recyclable) waste, food waste, paper and card, and all other dry recyclable materials, which means plastic, metal and glass. These can be bins, bags or stackable boxes. Food waste is to be collected at least weekly.
The date that applied to most councils was 31 March 2026. GOV.UK says councils must provide weekly food waste collections from all households from that date, but a council that was granted a longer transitional arrangement does not have to start until its agreed date. Councils still decide how often they collect residual waste and dry recycling.
Plastic film is the next change. The government's policy update says kerbside plastic film collections are due by 31 March 2027. Until your council offers that, check its rules before putting film in.
Simpler Recycling applies in England, so this article is about England. The Simpler Recycling article on this site has the full picture, and the postcode lookup on the home page points you to your own council's bin day page.
Check three things before you buy anything
- What containers your council has supplied. Some councils supply a small kitchen caddy and a larger outdoor one. If yours has, use that as the starting point.
- Which liners it wants. This varies, and it is the most common wasted purchase. Hull asks residents to use only the liners the council provides, which it says are designed to break down faster than shop-bought ones. Cannock Chase supplies plastic liners and does not use compostable ones, because it says they often split. North Warwickshire accepts compostable, plastic or paper bags, newspaper, or no liner at all. If the council supplies liners, you may not need to buy any.
- What the food stream accepts. Cannock Chase, for example, takes fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and bones, tea bags and coffee grounds, eggs, dairy and bread, but not liquids, oils or fats, garden waste or food packaging. Contaminated caddies are not collected. Your council's list is the one that counts.
Planning the space
A kitchen sorting station only works if it is easier than putting everything in one bin. The layout below suits most kitchens.
- Put food waste where you prepare food. It is the stream that is added to most often, and what goes in it is wet and smells. Next to the chopping board or the sink is the best position.
- Keep dry recycling where the packaging arrives. Near the door you unpack shopping at, or under the sink.
- Keep residual waste as the smallest bin. The less goes in it, the less often it needs emptying.
- Leave room for the outdoor caddy to be reached. Weekly collection means a weekly trip, so the route from the kitchen door to the kerbside caddy matters.
What to buy
For food waste
A small kitchen caddy with a lid holds a day or two of scraps. Ad A kitchen food waste caddy with a lid is the search that matches what most households need. Keep the size small, because a larger caddy makes it easy to leave scraps too long.
Liners, if your council allows them, come second. Hull says its liners are not carrier bags and can split if carried, so it asks residents to tie the liner inside the caddy and tip it directly into the brown bin. If your council permits compostable liners, Ad compostable caddy liners fit most small caddies, but check the size against your caddy and the rules before buying a box.
For dry recycling
If the council collects paper, card, plastic, metal and glass in one container, one larger bin is enough. If it collects them separately, a stack of smaller bins is easier than several large ones. Ad A stackable recycling bin set for the kitchen keeps three streams in the floor space of one. Ad An under-sink pull-out bin suits a cupboard with enough height and depth, so measure the space first.
Rinse containers before they go in. A quick rinse stops a recycling bin smelling and keeps paper and card clean enough to recycle.
For the residual bin
The residual bin can usually be small and lidded. Ad A small pedal bin is enough once food, paper, card and recycling have been taken out.
If the kitchen is very small
Not every kitchen has room for three containers. A few ways to cope without giving up on sorting:
- Use the outdoor caddy as the main food bin. Keep only a small lidded caddy indoors, and empty it into the outdoor caddy every day. Hull's advice to tie the liner and tip it straight into the outside bin follows the same pattern.
- Keep paper and card out of the kitchen. Flatten boxes and put them straight into a bag or box by the back door, so that only plastic, metal and glass need a kitchen container.
- Give each stream its own place. Confusion starts when two bins are in the same spot with similar lids, so separate them, and label the lids if more than one person sorts the waste.
- Check the collection frequency. Councils decide how often they collect residual waste and dry recycling, so a fortnightly collection means a bigger container than a weekly one.
Keeping it working
A station that is tidy on the first day often drifts. A few habits keep it going.
- Empty the food caddy before it is full. Cannock Chase advises changing the liner when it nears capacity, or at least weekly.
- Do not put hot food in. Cannock Chase recommends letting hot food cool before it goes in the caddy.
- Take packaging off before the food goes in. Plastic trays and wrappers belong in the dry recycling or residual bin, depending on what your council accepts.
- Rinse the caddy now and then. North Warwickshire suggests hot water, with a mild cleaner if needed, and letting the caddy dry before it is used again.
If anything is unclear, the guide lists the usual items for each bin, and your council's website is the authority on its own rules.