Help stop bin-digestion!
Check out our new food waste reduction campaign, get involved and help us stop bin-digestion!
Did you know that 20,000 tonnes of food waste is thrown into Bristol’s black bins every year? That’s about a quarter of every black bin in the city which is being filled with food. Of that, almost three quarters is completely avoidable food waste.
We want to reduce this figure and help make sure that any unavoidable food waste is put in your brown food waste bin to be recycled.
Does your bin smell bad? Is it too full by collection day? Does it attract pests?
Food waste in your bin could be causing bin-digestion! Luckily, keeping your bin happy is easy. Simply keep food waste out of your black bin and put it in your brown caddy to be recycled instead. Remember to remove any packaging!
The average Bristol family throws away £730 of edible food every year. Making sure all food waste goes in your caddy is great for the city and our planet, but you can also save money by taking simple steps to reduce avoidable food waste. Check out our Food Waste Reduction Tips for ideas and bin-spiration.
Top tips to reduce your food waste
Help stop bin-digestion by reducing your food waste as much as possible. Check out these helpful tips and easy tricks to help you buy, store, cook and dispose of your food.
Questions about the campaign?
Learn more about the exciting campaign encouraging Bristol residents and families to recycle food waste rather than putting it in their black wheelie bin.
Do you have a happy kitchen?
More top tips from our Sustainability and Community Engagement teams for reducing food waste.
Your food waste questions answered
Check out our frequently asked food waste questions.
Haven't got a food waste bin?
You can order a new food waste caddy or bin from Bristol City Council.
Stop bin-digestion FAQ
Learn more about the exciting campaign encouraging Bristol residents and families to recycle food waste rather than putting it in their black wheelie bin.
In the month following the 2018 Slim My Waste campaign, we saw a 16% increase in food waste being recycled and a reduction in general waste. The benefits continued beyond the initial campaign period, with an incredible 23% increase in food waste collected since it began. It also received three marketing campaign awards and inspired other local authorities to follow suit.
Although Slim My Waste saw dramatic increases in food waste recycling, analysis shows that nearly 25% of the average black bin in Bristol is still made up of food waste.
Recycling your food waste is better for the environment, and saves the city money and produces a useful resource – energy! Find out more about why reducing food waste is important on the Stop Bin-digestion campaign page.
A cross-section of households will receive a leaflet with more information on how to prevent bin-digestion and fun stickers for the whole family to help make your bin a happy one. The stickers are not only a great activity, but also a gentle reminder to save your bin from bin-digestion.
You don’t have to be one of the households that received a leaflet to join in. Everyone can get involved by reducing food waste and ensuring no food goes in the black wheelie bin. Check out our Food Waste Reduction Tips to find ideas and bin-spiration!
If you did receive a leaflet, then all the advice you need to follow is in there. You also get fun stickers to give your bin the happy face it deserves when you save it from bin-digestion.
Use the food stickers on your bin to help remind the city not to place food waste into the general waste bin. Feel free to remove any of the last campaign’s tape from around the bin. Share a photo of your food waste friend and tag us on social media using #StopBinDigestion
If you haven’t received a leaflet and stickers by the end of July, but want to get involved, contact us on 0117 304 9023.
The stickers are provided to help raise awareness and get people thinking about their food waste, the benefits of recycling it, and how to recycle it properly. If you’d rather not use your stickers you could offer them to a friend or neighbour.
We’ll be sending out stop bin-digestion leaflets to a cross-section of homes, so not every household in Bristol will receive them. If your neighbours have received something and you think we have missed your property, or if you haven’t received anything by the end of July 2020 but would like to be involved, please get in touch with us on 0117 304 9023.
The campaign targets black wheelie bins, so flats with mini recycling centres will not be receiving the leaflets or stickers. All bins can get bin-digestion though, so you can still be involved by reducing food waste to keep your communal bins happy, and by looking out for the hints and tips we’ll be sharing on the campaign webpage and social channels.
During the Coronavirus outbreak our bin delivery service has been suspended to enable us to continue to deliver essential waste and recycling services. However, due to the importance of the ‘Stop Bin-Digestion’ campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of food in black bins, we have set aside specific resource to enable us to deliver food waste caddies and bins to those households who need them.
We see this campaign, and the delivery of the caddies and bins, as essential work to support our day to day waste and recycling services. As a company, we are committed to helping all communities recycle more, throw away less and waste nothing, and this campaign is an essential part of working towards this.
Until we are able to resume the delivery of all bins and boxes, we advise you to follow the guidance below:
Black wheelie bin – any residual waste should be presented in tied bin bags and presented on your usual collection day.
Green box, black box and blue bag – please continue to separate your items (cans & plastics, card, paper, glass) and place in untied bags. We are not able to collect mixed bags of recycling.
The prize draw (the ‘Prize Draw’) is open to any resident of Bristol who shares a #StopBinDigestion photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Employees of Bristol Waste Company or anyone else connected with the Prize Draw may not enter the Prize Draw. Entrants into the Prize Draw shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions in connection with the Prize Draw, please email campaigns@bristolwastecompany.co.uk. Each person will be entered once into the Prize Draw, regardless of the number of photos shared. A prize will be given weekly between July and August. One winner will be chosen at random from all the individuals who share a #StopBinDigestion photo in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. The winner will receive either a reusable cup or sandwich box and will be notified via social media. The items will be delivered to a Bristol address.