Food scraps recycling service

More than 22,000 households have access to the service and we plan to roll out an offering to all residents.

The hands of a person scraping food scraps into a caddy bin.

Why it’s important

Food waste typically makes up one-third of our residents’ red lid rubbish bins.

By collecting and recycling food scraps separately, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste sent to landfill. We can also nourish our environment, with the scraps we collect converted into nutrient-rich compost.

Making food scraps recycling available to all our residents is one way we’re achieving our waste reduction goals.

What we’re doing

From trial success to sustainable journey

In July 2019, we began a successful trial involving the separate collection and recycling of food scraps from residential properties.

Since the end of the trial in October 2021, we’ve continued to collect and recycle food scraps. The service is currently available to over 22,000 households and we add new apartment buildings where possible.

Expanding food scraps recycling

We know how important food scraps recycling is to you and it’s just as important to us. We plan on extending food scraps recycling to all households.

This is in line with the state government’s requirement that a separate food and garden waste service be available to all NSW households by 2030.

Extending food scraps recycling is a complex project with factors we need to consider:

The unique make-up of our communities. Unlike most local government areas, about 80% of our residents live in apartments and don't have green lid bins. Other areas have more houses with gardens. Their residents can use their existing green lid bins for food scraps.
The best way to process a large amount of food scraps. There’s limited processing capacity in Sydney for food scraps. We need to work with government and industry to find a processor that can take all our community's food waste and turn it into beneficial products.
How to collect food scraps most efficiently. We need to minimise the environmental impact of a new collection service.

Get involved

Learn how you can recycle your food scraps and help us achieve our waste reduction goals. We’ll provide you with a small kitchen caddy, a supply of compostable caddy liner bags and a food scraps bin – everything you need to make it easy to recycle your food scraps.

What happens to your scraps

Your food scraps are collected by our waste collection truck, taken to Veolia’s Banksmeadow transfer terminal and transported by rail to the Veolia Woodlawn eco precinct near Tarago. Here, your food scraps are processed into compost, which is used to condition the soil on the sheep and cattle farm that forms part of the Woodlawn eco precinct.

A large pile of brown compost created from food scraps with a vehicle next to it. — Nutrient-rich compost created from your food scraps, ready to be used as soil conditioner.

Don’t have the service? Other options for food scraps recycling

If your house or building isn’t participating in the service, you can still recycle your food scraps and play your part in reducing food sent to landfill.

Walk, ride or link up with public transport to drop off your food scraps at our Ultimo recycling pop-up. There is no access by car and street parking is limited.

Think about composting food scraps or setting up a worm farm. Check out our tips for composting. Bokashi bins are also a great alternative for those living in apartments.

You could also get involved in community-run food scraps recycling initiatives with groups like ShareWaste.

Our Ultimo recycling pop-up is located at 83 Bay Street, Ultimo (near the corner of Bay and Macarthur Streets). See opening hours and what else you can drop off for recycling.

Bring food scraps in a reusable container or AS 4736 compostable bags, which are available at major supermarkets. Look for this symbol:

The following food is accepted:
- Leftovers, plate scrapings and spoiled food
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Dairy products
- Meat, small bones, fish and seafood – soft shells only, such as prawn shells
- Bread, pastries, cakes and biscuits
- Rice, grains, cereals and noodles
- Tea bags, loose tea leaves and coffee grounds.
No large bones or hard shells such as oyster or mussel shells. No food packaging including compostable packaging, plastic bags, paper towels or baking paper.
- If you have a backyard, lay twigs or straw first, a few inches deep, to help drain and aerate the pile.
- Add moist and dry ingredients alternately. Moist ingredients include food scraps, tea bags and seaweed. Dry materials would be straw and leaves.
- Add manure to activate the compost pile and help speed the process along.
- Keep it moist by watering occasionally.
- Cover with anything you have such as plastic sheeting or carpet scraps. This helps retain moisture and heat which are essential for compost.
- Turn the compost every few weeks.
- Alternatively, you can buy a composter. Consider a rotating compost tumbler, which makes it easy to mix the compost regularly.
- Worm farms are great if you have a smaller backyard, terrace or balcony.
- Buy a worm farm and place it in a semi-shaded spot. Make sure your worm farm has shade during summer.
- Worms can eat all your fruit and veggie scraps except for citrus, onion and chilli.
- The worm tea and castings produced by the worm farm are great fertilisers for your plants.
- Learn more about setting up and looking after a worm farm.
- Bokashi bins can be kept inside, ideally in your kitchen ready to collect your food scraps. Or keep them outside on a balcony or by the back door.
- The bins use an enzyme spray to break down the food scraps into liquid and solid fertilisers. This fertiliser is great for your plants.
- Bokashi bins can accept all kinds of food scraps including small amounts of meat and dairy.
- Learn more about setting up and looking after a bokashi bin.
- Your community project could be a compost bin in a community garden, a shared worm farm in an apartment block or school, or perhaps a compost system used by a group of local businesses.
- Whatever composting system you choose, our guidelines will help make your project a success.

Avoiding food waste in the first place

You can avoid or reduce food waste by planning your meals, shopping wisely, being creative with leftovers, and storing food correctly.

Love Food Hate Waste and Cornersmith have partnered to create a free online series of video tutorials. Learn how to reduce food waste in your kitchen, including storage tips, dinner ideas, low-waste snack recipes and other helpful waste hacks.

KitchenHand is an online platform that helps you plan and manage food, save money and reduce food waste. You’ll find recipes, leftovers hacks, seasonal produce guides and a food tracker to help you use what you have.