Brown food bins in Enfield are collected every week on your normal collection day.
You can use your brown bin to recycle your raw or cooked food waste.
All properties that have kerbside wheeled bins receive the free weekly food recycling service. All food waste should be recycled using this service.
What to put in your brown external food bin
What can go in your external food bin
- General food waste
- Cooked and uncooked food (including meat)
- Compostable liners (if they're 100% compostable with the seedling logo)
- Egg shells
- Fish and meat bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
What cannot go in your external food bin
- General rubbish (like packaging)
- Garden waste (including leaves, house plants and soil)
- Liquids (like oil or milk)
- Pet waste
- Plastic bags or liners (unless 100% compostable)
How to use your kitchen caddy
Line your silver kitchen caddy with a 100% compostable liner, or use newspaper or a compostable paper bag.
Transfer all food waste and kitchen scraps into your brown external food bin and remove any non-compostable liners.
The silver kitchen caddy is for indoor use only.
Make sure our collection crews can easily see your external food bin when you place it out on your collection day.
Do not use plastic bags for food waste.
Stopping smells and flies
Regularly cleaning your brown external food bin will help to reduce bad smells, or the chance of finding flies or maggots. Use hot water or a fragranced cleaning product to regularly rinse your external food bin and kitchen caddy. Your smaller silver kitchen caddy is also dishwasher safe.
Follow these other tips to help keep your kitchen caddy and external food bin clean:
- Put food waste in a 100% compostable liner, compostable paper bag, or wrap tightly in newspaper
- Squeeze the air out of compostable bags that contain food before they are tied and put in the external food bin
- Keep kitchen caddy and external food bin lids closed and secure using the handle
- Keep the kitchen caddy out of direct sunlight in hot weather to avoid heating the waste
- Do not leave food waste lying around the home before putting it in the kitchen caddy
Did you know - By recycling food waste you will be creating compost for agriculture, which is good for Enfield and the planet.
To find out about home composting, see how to reduce your waste.
What happens to my food waste?
In north London, food waste from homes (and sometimes from businesses), is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility. There, it is used to create electricity and a liquid fertiliser.
For more information, visit North London Waste Authority - What happens to north London's food waste?