Food Waste Collection
Food waste is an increasing concern. It costs the average person in the UK around £200 a year, and the average family £700. You can find more on how to reduce your waste or try home composting.
The Council will be launching Food Waste Bins across Chorley, free of charge to residents and delivered between February 23rd and April 3rd 2026. Read below for further information and answers to frequently asked questions regarding the new food waste scheme:
- Food waste bins will be emptied weekly, and this will have no impact on other bin schedules
- Bin liners will be provided, and replenished annually. They are made from recycled plastic and will be recycled. If you run out, you can use any other liner, and the food waste can still be recycled.
- All food waste bins and caddies are made using recycled plastic, and can sit ontop of or alongside your other bins
- Food waste caddies are lockable and specifically designed to prevent pests and foxes
- All food waste goes to Lancashire County Council for disposal and recycling
- The food waste caddy should not create a household smell, as it is no different to using the regular kitchen bin. The caddy has a lid and is lockable to help contain potential smells, and bin liners can be used to keep the bin clean. You can empty your kitchen caddy as oftenas you wish to prevent smells in the kitchen.
- Garden waste and Food waste cannot go in the same bin. Garden waste is sent for composting in Lancashire, and food waste is sent to Farington Waste Recovery Park for anaerobic digestion. This converts organic waste into biogas and digestate, which can be safely used as fertiliser to enhance soil fertility and crop growth.
- The government has made it mandatory for Councils to collect food waste from all households
Why should I recycle food waste?
Food waste currently goes to landfills, where it rots and releases lots of methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is 25 times more harmful to our environment than carbon dioxide.
Food waste makes up over a third of the average household waste bin.
Recycling means that less waste is sent to landfills and instead is recycled.
What happens to food waste?
Food waste that’s collected for recycling will be processed using anaerobic digestion (AD). AD involves the breakdown of biodegradable material to produce a source of renewable energy.
This is broken down to produce biogas, which can be used to generate electricity and heat, and used as vehicle fuel.
A further by-product of AD is a digestate, which is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements required for healthy plant growth and fertile soil. This can then be used by farmers as a soil fertiliser to improve crop growth.
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