What goes in your bin

Food waste caddies - food waste collections

We will be introducing weekly food waste collections for houses and flats in Bedford Borough from Monday 30 March 2026. This will give every household an easy way to recycle out of date food, leftovers and scraps instead of putting them in the black bin.

By reusing everyday plastic bags and paper to line kitchen caddies, you can keep things clean and simple while helping cut waste, save money and protect the environment.​ All residents will be receiving a food waste caddy between January and April 2026.

If your neighbours have received their food caddy and you have not, or if you have received a damaged food caddy, you will soon be able to report it on our Replace damaged or missing bins page.

Food waste collections are designed to take most everyday food, including items that cannot be composted at home.​

Items allowed

• raw and cooked food, including plate scrapings, leftovers and peelings
• meat and fish (including small bones), dairy products, eggs and eggshells
• bread, rice, pasta, cereals and baked goods
• tea bags, coffee grounds and solidified cooking oils and fats
• pet food (but not pet litter, such as bedding or excrement)​
• out-of-date food eg fruit, vegetables, bread (packaging removed)

Items not allowed

• packaging, such as tins, bottles, foil or plastic trays (these go in your recycling or general waste bin, depending on material)
• liquids, such as milk, juice, and hot oils, which can leak and cause spills
• garden waste, soil, stones, plastic plant pots, which can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre
• glass, metal, wood, and cardboard find how to recycle these materials using the recycling locator tool further down this page
• animal waste and bedding, this goes in your general waste bin

Orange lid bins - mixed recycling

Image

Accepted items

• Paper and cardboard
• Metal packaging (tins, cans, foil and aerosols)
• Plastic food and drink packaging (bottles, pots, tubs and trays only)
• TetraPak cartons
• Glass bottles and jars (from 1 December 2025

Types of glass accepted

• Glass bottles (any colour or size).
• Glass jars (for example for sauces, jam, baby food).
• Non-food glass bottles (for example perfume, aftershave, face cream).

Types of glass not accepted

The following items cannot accepted and should be placed in the black bin or taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre:

• Drinking glasses
• Glass cookware (eg Pyrex, microwave oven plates)
• Vases
• Window or greenhouse panes

Recycling guidelines

• Please rinse dirty food and drink containers and place all items loose in the orange lid recycling bin.
• Squash and crush items to save space - compacting your recycling helps you fit more in the bin.
• If your bin is full, extra recycling can be placed next to it in on your recycling collection day in a clear/white transparent bag or cardboard box
• Large cardboard boxes should be flat packed and only placed out on the day of collection. Wet cardboard cannot be recycled.
• If you have a large quantity of cardboard, please take it to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Bedford.
• Recycling presented in black bags will not be collected and any items placed within the bin which are not listed on the accepted items may lead to the bin being rejected due to contamination.
• We do not accept flexible/soft plastics (film lids, wrap etc) or hard plastics (toys, garden furniture etc).

Use the Recycle Now Recycling Locator below to check whether an item can be recycled at home or to find your nearest recycling point.

Green lid bin - garden waste

Image

Accepted items

• Grass, plants and weeds.
• Flowers, prunings and hedge clippings.
• Leaves and bark.

Non-accepted items

• Soil, sand and rubble.
• Large tree branches or stumps.
• Food waste (vegetable peelings, kitchen waste, pet food).
• Carnivorous/omnivorous animal/pet bedding and waste.
• General non-recyclable or recyclable waste.
• Invasive or hazardous plants (Ragwort, Japanese Knotweed, Spear Thistle, Creeping Thistle, Broad Leaf Dock, Curled Dock etc).
• Fake plants

Please note, the list of non-accepted items is not exhaustive. If an item is not listed under accepted materials, the bin may be rejected due to contamination. 

Alternatively you may wish to consider purchasing a home composter or take your garden waste to a household waste recycling centre.

Black lid bin - non recyclables

Any excess waste put out for collection in black bags (or similar) will not be collected.

Image

Accepted items

• Plastic film, cling wrap, and crisp packets
• Polystyrene packaging and trays
• Nappies and sanitary products
• Used tissues and kitchen roll
• Pet waste and litter
• Vacuum cleaner contents, dust and bags
• Soiled or greasy paper and food containers
• Non-recyclable packaging (eg laminated pouches)
• Food waste

Non-accepted items

• Bulky/large items (furniture, cabinets, luggage etc)
• Vapes
• Uncontained liquid waste
• Commercial/business waste
• Tyres
• Electrical Equipment (WEEE)
• Paint
• Soil, sand, rubble
• Building materials (wood, bricks, metals etc)
• Recycling (put this in your orange lid bin)
• Asbestos or plasterboard 

Please note, the list of non-accepted items is not exhaustive. If an item is not listed under accepted materials, the bin may be rejected due to contamination

Many items can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre on Barkers Lane. 

If you have clinical waste such as diabetic sharps, this must be disposed of using our specialist clinical and hazardous collection service.

Battery recycling

Most retailers that sell batteries are legally required to provide free collection points in-store, typically located near the tills or customer service desks.

As part of our commitment to improving recycling rates, we also collect used household batteries at the kerbside. 

Accepted batteries: 6V, D, C, AA, AAA, 9V, button.

To recycle your batteries from home you must:

1. Place your used batteries in a small, clear plastic bag and seal it once full.
2. On your usual collection day, put the sealed bag on top of your black bin or orange lid recycling bin, or sacks.

Please do not place batteries inside any bin. Only standard household batteries are accepted as part of this scheme. We cannot collect any other types of batteries than those listed. 

Waste and recycling policy statements

Our waste and recycling policies (PDF) set out our approach to the collection of waste within Bedford Borough.

Subscribe to email bulletins

You can subscribe to email bulletins for bin collection updates and recycling tips.

Subscribe