Weekly food waste collection service- an update

This information has been provided by Cheshire East.

The below information has been provided to support you to inform and assist residents in your areas.

Key dates (Please note, some of the dates previously provided to you and residents have been updated to reflect the current programme):

• End of October: All food waste caddy deliveries due to be completed.

• By Mid-October: Once all caddies have been delivered and final testing of the new collection rounds has taken place, a further update will be provided to residents on the expected start date of the service.

• By Mid-October: New bin collection calendars – including details of any changes to residents' bin collection day – will be available to be viewed and downloaded from the council’s website.

• October: Communal food waste bins delivered to residents in properties where there are three or more flats.

• Late autumn: Weekly food waste collections begin.

As a reminder, the changes from autumn include:

• Introduction of weekly food waste collections.

• Black bin (general waste) collections will move from fortnightly to three-weekly.

• Residents may have a new bin collection day as the routes and rotas for collections are being updated to incorporate the new food waste service.

Food waste caddy deliveries

Almost 148,000 new outdoor food waste caddies have now made their way to residents across the borough, with a further 38,000 scheduled for delivery over the next few weeks.

We have now started Phase Six of the caddy rollout, which includes Alderley Edge, Bollington, Bosley, Disley, Gawsworth, Handforth, High Legh, Kettleshulme, Knutsford, Mere, Mobberley, Mottram St Andrews, Peover/Marthall, Poynton, Prestbury, Rainow, Tytherington, Wildboarclough, Wilmslow.

We are aware of a small number of reported missed deliveries to date. We will return to these addresses in time for the new food waste collection service starting.

Information about the caddy rollout is updated on our website: Food waste caddy deliveries and communicated by the council’s Facebook page.

If residents think their caddy has been missed

More than 185,000 caddies and bins will be distributed to residents during the rollout. If a resident lives in an area where we have confirmed that all caddies/bins have now been delivered, they will be able to report a non-delivery via our website: digital-core.cheshireeast.gov.uk/w/webpage/request?service=report_a_missed_or_broken_caddy&pageTitle=Food+waste+caddy+deliveries&pagePath=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cheshireeast.gov.uk%2Fwaste_and_recycling%2Fbins%2Ffood-waste-caddy-deliveries.aspx This form can also be used if their caddy has arrived but is damaged.

What residents will receive

Most households will receive an outdoor food waste caddy. Each caddy will include:

• A leaflet with information about how to use the service – this has space at the top for residents to write their food waste service start date and collection day (if different) so they can keep it for future reference.

• A sticker for the caddy lid – this tells residents what can be put in it and has space for residents to add their house number.

What residents should do once they receive their caddy

When a resident’s outdoor food waste caddy arrives, they should:

Not put it out for collection straight away – caddies are being delivered in phases and therefore it may be several weeks before their collections start. 
 Store the caddy outside with their household bins 
 Read the leaflet that’s inside their food waste caddy 
 Add the sticker to the lid of their caddy and write their house number on.

Check when their start date will be and whether their collection day has changed. This information will be available to check on the council’s website by mid-October at: cheshireeast.gov.uk/mycollectionday

Residents living in flats or shared accommodation

Residents living in flats or shared accommodation will also receive the new food waste collection service.

We have assessed bin capacity and collection arrangements for each building. Depending on the property type this may involve either of the following:

• A new outdoor food waste caddy for each individual flat. Food waste caddies will be distributed by an external company on behalf of the council.

• Or, a new communal 140 litre food waste wheelie bin that will be shared between residents. These are currently expected to be delivered by the end of October and will be delivered by in-house teams at the council.

• Generally, properties with three or more flats will receive a new communal food waste bin.

• The food waste wheelie bin will be stored in the building’s usual bin storage area.

Translated materials

Both this webpage Changes to waste and recycling collections from autumn 2026 and this webpage Changes to food waste collections from autumn 2026 are available as fully translated pages in Polish, Slovakian, Romanian and Portuguese. We also have translated copies of our waste and recycling guide. These are available by emailing rhiannon.hilton@cheshireeast.gov.uk Targeted, translated social media posts are also live.

Kitchen caddies

Residents can use any suitable container in their kitchen to collect food waste and transfer it into their outdoor food waste caddy. They may already have a kitchen food waste caddy from a previous service. If they do, they can use it again.  Indoor food waste kitchen caddies should not be put out for collection and won’t be emptied by our crews.

If residents would like a kitchen caddy  

If residents would prefer to use a kitchen caddy to transfer their food waste to their outdoor caddy, a small number of kitchen caddies are now available to collect from libraries and household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). There is no need to call ahead to collect a kitchen caddy, but a booking is needed for visiting household waste recycling centres at weekends and Bank Holidays.

Supporting residents to prepare for the changes

The council’s website has been updated with detailed information about the service changes: cheshireeast.gov.uk/changes-to-bin-collections