Liverpool's weekly food waste collections are still being rolled out across the city. There is no published citywide street-by-street timetable showing when every household will receive the new grey food waste caddy.
Liverpool City Council says it will write to households around six weeks before collections start in their area. Homes joining the service receive a small kitchen caddy, a larger grey outdoor caddy and liners. Collections are free and take place every week.
The short version
- When you get it: The council writes to households roughly six weeks before collections start in their area. There is no public street-by-street rollout calendar.
- What you receive: A 5-litre indoor kitchen caddy, a 23-litre grey outdoor caddy and a starter roll of liners. Both are free.
- Collection frequency: Collected weekly on your regular collection day.
- What goes inside: All raw and cooked food waste, leftovers, bones, dairy, peelings, tea bags and pet food. No packaging or liquids.
- If your area has not joined: Keep putting food waste into your purple household waste bin until your street joins the scheme.
When will your area get a grey food waste bin?
The practical answer is that you need to wait for a letter from Liverpool City Council.
The council's food waste collection service has reached many parts of Liverpool but continues to be introduced in phases. The council does not publish a complete list of streets or postcodes with future start dates.
The rollout process follows four steps:
- The council sends a letter around six weeks before your area's collections begin.
- You receive an information pack, indoor caddy, outdoor caddy and liners.
- Once the service is active for your address, you can use the council's bin collection postcode checker to confirm your collection schedule.
- Put the outdoor food waste caddy out on the collection day shown for your property.
If you have not received a letter or caddies, the absence of a public rollout date does not mean your street has been missed. The council is still introducing the service area by area.
The grey bin is a 23-litre outdoor caddy
Despite sometimes being described simply as a new grey bin, Liverpool households are not being given another full-size wheelie bin.
The council provides two containers:
- 5-litre indoor caddy: 200mm high, 195mm deep and 265mm wide.
- 23-litre outdoor caddy: 393mm high, 358mm deep and 325mm wide.
The smaller container sits on your kitchen worktop or under the sink. Filled liners are tied and transferred into the larger outdoor caddy, which is presented at the kerbside for collection.
That distinction matters if you have limited storage space. The outdoor container is considerably smaller than Liverpool's standard purple, blue or green wheeled bins.
What can go in Liverpool's grey food waste caddy?
The separate collection takes most ordinary household food waste, including:
- Leftovers and plate scrapings
- Raw and cooked meat, including bones
- Raw and cooked fish, including bones
- Cheese and other dairy products
- Eggs and eggshells
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Rice, pasta and beans
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Fruit and vegetables
- Vegetable and fruit peelings
- Out-of-date or mouldy food
- Pet food
Do not put food packaging into the caddy. The council also excludes liquids such as milk, cooking oil, melted fat, general household rubbish and anything that is not food waste. Packaging must be separated from food before disposal.
What should you do if the grey caddy has not reached your street?
If your address has not yet joined the separate food waste collection, follow Liverpool City Council's instructions for your existing bins.
The council's guide to what goes in each Liverpool bin lists food waste, including pet food, as accepted in the purple household waste bin until your area joins the food collection scheme.
Once the separate food waste collection begins at your property, the new caddy becomes the container provided specifically for this material. Our companion guide on Liverpool bin collections covers the wider purple, blue and green bin system, collection times, missed bins and garden waste charges.
If you have recently moved to the city, check our guide on moving to Liverpool and setting up essentials for local council services, or read how Liverpool local government works for more on council responsibilities.