Composting household food waste

Etheldreda

I think I was not sufficiently clear. The council will only take garden waste. So not peelings, left over bread (say), or anything from the house, cooked or uncooked.

I don't have a compost heap. Nor really can I easily create space for one. But I did wonder about one of these composters of the kind Wheniwasyourage suggests.

This sounds like us. We are surrounded by farms which equate to rats and our council only gives us plastic bags for household waste. If you put a cauli leaf in the garden bin they will not take it. We have nowhere for a composter other than the middle of the front lawn, I suppose I could put a flag on the top.

Germanshepherdsmum

I agree. I don’t understand why anyone throws food away.

We compost a lot of food waste: Peelings, apple cores, banana skins, onion/garlic skins and ends,the big leaves and core of cauliflower, browned bits and ends of celery stalks, tops and bottoms of aubergine and courgettes, lettuces and cabbage leaves outer layer, coffee and tea, ginger peel, broccoli stalk ends, citrus peels and white layer, pom peels and white matter, pits, bread.

In sure the OP isn't throwing away usable food - the problem is with meat and fish waste which does need disposing of. I am lucky and live next to a field frequented by foxes so our waste is taken there. A friend who lives in town has a Hotbox composter which deals with everything including bones - but does need some attention to maintain the optimum temperature

I don’t throw food away but I do throw peelings or left overs, meat/fish bones. The council collects food waste in the green bin that also takes garden waste, trimmings, leaves, grass etc.
I compost some fruit/veg peel, dead flowers, garden waste but never meat - don’t want to encourage rats

Is that in the UK Greyduster?

We have bins for most kinds of recycling including one for garden waste, but food waste goes into the general bin. I think our council are soon going to introduce a food waste caddy system and I can’t say I’m particularly happy about it, if it’s anything like the one my sister in law had in Wales which she kept on the kitchen worktop. It wasn’t big enough to be practical - would not, for instance, have taken a whole chicken carcass, cooked or uncooked. Most of the general waste in this city is incinerated anyway, so doesn’t go to landfill.

Everybody throws food waste away though, as the categories of meat bones and gristle, vegetable peelings, cores, egg shells, items you have dropped on the floor etc (unless the dog eats them) etc. all go in the food waste bin.
We can’t put any food waste in our garden bin, because that is composted and reused by the council, but we have a separate weekly collection for food waste and other recycling.

I agree. I don’t understand why anyone throws food away.

We have small bins, specifically for food waste. Food waste does not go into the brown garden waste bins.

I cannot understand, and never have, how people can afford to be so lavish with their food buying that they can afford to throw food away. Particularly now every fridge has a seperate freezer compartment, there really is no excuse to waste any food at all.

It doesn't take much effort to draw up a rough menu plan and review what perishable food is left over from the previous week before planning the next weeks shop, and to make sure you have a shopping list to shop to.

But to me it just boils down to not being able to understand, especially in current circumstances, how anyone can afford to buy food and throw it away.

Foxes will happily eat food waste.

Controversial 😄

The birds will happily eat bread, which is the only food item OP has specified.

We can't put any food waste in our green bin anymore. I was told that they only wanted actual garden waste (not even cut flowers!!).

My daughter has a hot-bin - i don't know the actual make but it will take everything from garden waste to thick card and even bones. It runs VERY hot as it's insulated. She's had it a few years now.

Etheldreda

I have asked, and approached local Councillors, but am informed it is at present not economically viable.

Hence I am asking here what I can do to avoid things going into general, landfill, waste.

Then I think you could look at ways of reducing or eliminating food waste in your housekeeping. I can’t imagine why anybody would put bread out for instance.

Bread - keep in the freezer and use a slice at a time -or alternatively dry out stale bread in the oven, whizz into crumbs and use in cooking. Or put out stale bread crumbs to feed the birds!
Boil up bones or chicken carcasses to make stock and soup.
Consider scrubbing veg instead of peeling, lots of nutrients under that skin.
Do not overbuy or serve up too big portions.

All things our thrifty mothers or grannies would have done automatically.

Don’t think photos loading sorry.

Forgot photo!

Etheldreda

Our Council will take garden waste but not food waste in the bin.

I know some Councils do take food waste.

I am reluctant to put my food waste into the general waste but that seems to be what has to be done.

I saw in Facebook Marketplace someone selling a home composter (can't remeber the exact title) but couldn't quite work out what it was about, but it did seem to be for food from meals etc.

Can anyone help with advice and knowledge?

We have one of theses barrel composters, made by Hozelock. In it we put vegetable peelings, fruit, coffee grounds, tea leaves, faded cut flowers, egg shells and biodegradable bags/ paper. We don’t put in any cooked food or bread. It is quite small and neat, but takes a huge amount. As the contents decompose the liquid filters into a bottle that can then be attached to your hose to fertilise the garden. The solid compost can be spread on the bed, obviously. We bought our at the local garden centre, but other places like DIY stores sell them.

We can’t put food waste in our green bin I wish all councils followed the same ruling
I don’t understand why anyone would have ‘leftovers’ why don’t you eat it the next day or freeze it (or give it to the dog or cat if you have one )
Egg shells and banana skins are great for the garden as are coffee or tea leaves
I really don’t have anything I can’t manage ( I don’t eat meat or fish so nothing wasted there )
Compost bins don’t have to be huge the size of a bucket with a lid works fine

I have asked, and approached local Councillors, but am informed it is at present not economically viable.

Hence I am asking here what I can do to avoid things going into general, landfill, waste.

Likewise.
I have a grey food caddy which lives in the kitchen/utility room into which I can put peel/peelings/trimmings/bread/anything edible - even chicken bones etc- and thence into my green wheelie bin. It is collected weekly, winter and summer and the contents go into (I think) an anaerobic digester
From the council website
In the green wheeled bin

All food waste allowed, including ^
bread, baked goods
coffee grounds
dairy products
fruit and vegetables including peelings
mouldy or out of date food
pet food
plate scrapings
raw or cooked meat, fish or bones
tea bags
Garden waste allowed
dead flowers
grass
leaves
plants
small branches up to 15 cm in diameter
twigs
weeds
windfall fruit

Compostable items allowed
compostable cups and caddy liners that display the standard EN13432 or display the 'Seedling logo

Why don’t you ask your council to do more?

Our food waste goes in with garden waste.
No messing about with caddies, kerb side collections etc. Also results in the garden waste bins being emptied all through the year, irrespective of garden stuff generated.

I'm in Berkshire and all our food waste is collected to produce energy. They ask us to put old cooking oil in a bottle and put it out in the food bin.

I think I was not sufficiently clear. The council will only take garden waste. So not peelings, left over bread (say), or anything from the house, cooked or uncooked.

I don't have a compost heap. Nor really can I easily create space for one. But I did wonder about one of these composters of the kind Wheniwasyourage suggests.

What sort of food waste are you generating Etheldreda ?

Have you considered getting a dog? Labradors are pretty omnivorous.
Alternatively my nephew will always finish up leftovers (even food I had been planning on eating fort the rest of the coming week. )

Any vegetable waste, peelings and the like, plus lots of paper, used kitchen towels, till slips etc, all go on the compost heap.

All that goes to food recycling is fish skins, bacon rinds, meat bones, chicken carcases after they have been stewed for stock and had every bit of meat removed.