Food waste collections for flats

From 6 April 2026, all flats will receive a new food waste recycling service. This will be a free service in line with new Simpler Recycling legislation.

From mid-March to April, we'll provide all flats with either:

  • a 23 litre food waste bin
  • a 140 litre shared brown bin.

You must place your food waste in one of these bins for collection. 

All flat blocks in Medway have been individually assessed. We’ve reviewed available storage and the number of containers needed.

If there is no suitable space inside your existing bin store, the food waste bin will be placed in another appropriate location on the premises.

Keeping outdoor bins clean is the responsibility of the managing agent. There are many local companies which offer paid bin cleaning services.

Food waste service welcome pack

As well as receiving a bin, each home will also get a welcome pack with:

  • a letter and instruction leaflet explaining how to use the new service
  • a 5 litre silver kitchen caddy
  • a year’s supply of liners.

If no one in your building has received a welcome pack, we may not have reached your area.

If you have not recieved one but your neighbours have, email waste.services@medway.gov.uk and we'll arrange a delivery.

Kitchen caddies and liners

You'll get a free kitchen caddy which you can store:

  • under the sink
  • next to the kitchen bin
  • on the worktop.

You can also use your own container if your prefer.

Caddy liners

You'll receive 1 free roll of 52 caddy liners as part of your welcome pack, which is a year's supply of 1 bag per week.

If you need to buy more, caddy liners are available for £2.50 for a roll of 26 (or £2.60 from 1 April 2026). You can buy these at our contact points and libraries.

Find a library.

What to put in your food waste bin

You should place your food waste into your kitchen caddy using a caddy liner.

You can dispose of all types of food waste including:

  • meat and fish
  • plate scrapings
  • fruit and vegetable peelings and cores
  • eggshells
  • tea bags and coffee grounds.

You cannot use it to dispose of:

  • packaging
  • liquids such as milk
  • oil or liquid fat
  • any material that is not food waste.

If food waste bins are contaminated by other items, they will not be collected by the food waste vehicle. Instead, they'll be emptied later by a different vehicle.

Your managing agent will also be informed and we'll work with them to help residents recycle correctly.

Collections

Food waste collections for flats will begin from 6 April 2026.

Collections will be weekly on the same day as your other waste and recycling.

On your scheduled collection day, empty your caddy into your 23 litre bin or shared brown bin.

Check your regular waste collection day.

Other ways to dispose of food waste

If you do not want to use the food waste collection service, you can:

If you previously recycled food waste in a brown bin

Some flats might have already been receiving mixed food and organic waste collections.

As we're not contractually obligated to provide this service, this means that these flats have effectively been receiving an enhanced service.

You can continue using your brown bin up until 5 April 2026, however all future food waste will be collected as part of the food waste recycling service.

To continue receiving garden waste collections, you'll need to subscribe to our garden waste subscription service.

More information for flats that previously received garden waste collections.

Contact us

For more information about the food waste collection service for flats, you can: