Food waste collections in flats
We are introducing weekly food waste collections in spring 2026. Here are the details you need to know if you live in a block of flats.
Your caddy and communal bin delivery
A 5-litre internal kitchen caddy, an instructional leaflet and a first roll of liners will be delivered to your flat to get you started. A 140-litre wheeled bin with an orange lid will be supplied to your bin store for you to empty your kitchen caddy into when it is full.
In some cases there may be limited space within your bin store for the external bin. If this occurs, the bin may be placed in an alternative location within the flat complex.
If you haven't received your delivery
We're delivering starter packs in February and March 2026. Please note that kitchen caddies and external bins are delivered by separate teams, which may result in deliveries occurring on different days or weeks.
If you haven't received your kitchen caddy and external bin and it is a week or less until your first collection, please:
- check with your building management that the external bin has not been delivered
- complete our Missing starter pack online form
Your first collection
The collection crew will visit your bin store every week to empty the 140-litre bin.
Collections are due to start in the spring of 2026, but the exact dates will depend on where you live and what days your bins are currently collected. From early 2026 you will be able to check your online bin calendar to see when your food waste collections start.
Nearer the time you will also be able to find more information on collection dates and times using our app, which will automatically update before your new collections start. Download the Horsham District Council app.
Your collection day will not change, and the communal bin will be collected weekly on the same day as either your recycling or general waste bin.
Replacing the liners in the communal bin
The Council will be responsible for replacing the liners in the external communal bins at flats. However, you will need to purchase your own biodegradable liners, or find alternatives for your kitchen caddy once the initial supply from the starter pack has been used.
If you choose not to use liners once your first roll runs out, the food waste can be placed in your kitchen caddy loose, but it could help to keep it clean if you continue to use compostable liners (available in supermarkets), or line it with newspaper or kitchen roll.
If you do not want to use our weekly food waste collection service, you can continue to put all waste in your general waste bin, which is collected every two weeks.
However, we strongly recommend that you make use of the food waste service offered as it will help reduce the amount of general waste you produce and promote the recycling of food materials. By separating your food waste, you can also become more aware of the quantity of food you throw away, which may help you to reduce your food bills.
Further information
Find more information about our new service on the Food waste page.