The waste will be used to create fertiliser or green energy
Laycie Beck Senior Reporter
13:36, 12 Jan 2026
The new food waste caddies(Image: City of Lincoln Council)
Weekly food waste collections are due to start in Lincoln in a matter of weeks. Caddies for the waste will be delivered to homes across the city next month, with each home receiving a five-litre indoor caddy and an outdoor one for kerbside collection.
Currently, food waste makes up around 26 per cent of the general waste in Lincolnshire, and it’s incinerated at the Energy from Waste plant.
However, across the county, councils are rolling out separate food waste collections, where the waste will instead go to an anaerobic digestion plant and be transformed into fertiliser or used for green energy.
Items that can go in the caddy include all uneaten food and plate scrapings, raw or cooked meat and fish, including bones, dairy products, tea bags, coffee grounds, bread, pastries, rice, pasta, beans and raw or cooked fruit and vegetables, including peelings.
Lincoln residents will have their caddies delivered from February 23, and from the week commencing March 30, there will be weekly collections.
Both the indoor and 23-litre kerbside caddies have lids that can be ‘locked’ to prevent odours escaping or pests getting inside. The food waste collections will take place on the same day as the usual bin collections, regardless of which bin is out, as they will be collected by a separate vehicle at a different time on that day.
Those living in accommodation like flats with communal bins will have access to a communal food waste bin. Councillor Rebecca Longbottom, portfolio holder for Remarkable Place at City of Lincoln Council, said: “Introducing weekly food collections is a change I’m very much looking forward to.
“As a council, we are proud to support our residents in recycling more efficiently and helping to protect the environment. The scheme has already been successfully rolled out in other counties and has been warmly welcomed.
“I hope our residents embrace it too and recognise the positive difference such a simple change can make. Together, we can turn waste into something useful and make Lincoln a cleaner, greener city.”
Lincolnshire County Council is working with councils across the county to introduce the services in phases, so not all areas will start at the same time. Due to this approach, residents should check their local council for updates on when the service will be available in their area.
Councillor Danny Brookes, chair of Lincolnshire Waste Partnership and executive member of environment at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “ Introducing food waste collections will help make recycling simpler and more consistent for households across Lincolnshire. Residents will receive clear guidance and everything they need to take part, and we encourage everyone to check their local council updates so they know when the service will begin in their area.”