People in Tonbridge and Malling are being encouraged to recycle more of their food waste with the help of a new bin sticker.
As part of a borough-wide effort to improve recycling rates and create more clean energy, orange stickers are being attached to general waste bins. They’re a gentle reminder that food waste doesn’t belong in the black bin. Instead, put it in your free food caddy—it’s collected every week and turned into green power for local homes. Every six teabags you recycle creates enough energy to boil water for another cup of tea!
Over the next few weeks, a team will be working alongside council bin crews to make sure every home gets the message – ‘feed your food caddy not the bin!’
And it’s not just the sticker. Every resident will also receive a helpful leaflet explaining how to recycle food waste and some free food caddy liners for their bin.
The campaign comes as local recycling figures show Tonbridge and Malling is already doing well - 25,000 tonnes of waste was recycled in 2024, including 2,755 tonnes of food waste, making the council one of the top-performing boroughs in Kent. But there’s still work to do, as almost a third (27%) of black bin waste is food that could be recycled.
Cllr Robin Betts, cabinet member for housing, environment and the economy, said: “Every stale crust, peeling, and plate scrape can help create clean energy for 3,600 nearby homes, and mulches down to produce a wonderful organic fertiliser used by Kent farmers to grow our crops - powerful reasons to recycle as much as we can.
“We know many residents are already doing a brilliant job with their food recycling, but remembering to use the little caddy in the kitchen every time you cook can make a big difference. We hope this campaign can help more of us to adopt or embed new habits that benefit our community.”
Funded jointly by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Kent County Council, the project also aims to reduce recycling costs, as processing food waste is £130.00 per tonne cheaper to process than general waste, and is more energy efficient to dispose of.
The recycling service takes all cooked and uncooked foods – including bones, fish skins, tea bags and coffee grindings. The council collects food waste every week, using a dedicated fleet of vehicles from its waste contractor FCC. If you’re not sure about food waste recycling, look out for a leaflet that will come through your door to help you or go to the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council website.
For anyone whose food bin is missing or damaged, a FREE replacement can be ordered online and delivered to your door.
Check your waste collection dates here What are my next waste collection dates? | Your address – Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council