Brown bin waste

What can I put in my brown bin?

You must only place garden or food waste in your brown bin. Find out in detail what you can put in your brown bin:

Please note: we also provide free kitchen caddies that you can put a caddy liner in and use to temporarily store food waste in your home until you can put it in your brown bin.  Only use liners provided by the Council in your kitchen caddy.

Some packaging may say it is compostable, however it may not be compatible with our composting scheme. Please check what you can put in your kitchen caddy and 'if in doubt, leave it out'.

During January, we will take away your Christmas tree if you leave it beside your brown bin. Please make sure the tree is cut into lengths of 5 feet (1.5 metres) or less so that it will fit into the collection vehicle.

When and where should I put my brown bin out?

Find out more information about when and where to put your brown bin out on the bin collection dates page.

Can you remind me to put my brown bin out?

The free East Riding App

East Riding council has introduced a new bin collection app. It’s free to download.

Why wasn’t my brown bin collected?

The most common reasons for a brown bin not being collected are: 

• you didn’t put it out before 7am on your scheduled collection day
  
• it wasn’t accessible to our crew
  
• the lid wasn’t fully closed
  
• there was a reason why we couldn’t accept your waste and a tag will have been attached to your bin explaining why
  
• parked vehicles may have stopped our bin lorry reaching your property
  
• it’s before 4.30pm on the day of collection - the bin crew may still come and collect your waste. 

If none of the above reasons apply, find out if we can come back and collect it for you.

Can you come back for my uncollected garden and food waste?

We may be able to come back and collect your recycling waste if you meet certain conditions:

Please note: there are changes being made to bin collection dates during July and August. You should receive a letter including a calendar informing you of the changes. Please check your collection day before reporting a missed bin.

What can I do with extra garden and food waste?

If your brown bin is full and you can’t wait for the next collection, you can:

• bring garden waste to any  household waste recycling site (HWRS)to be composted. Food waste cannot be recycled at an HWRS, so please separate it from your garden waste and leave it in your brown bin for your next  scheduled collection
  Please note: for the health and safety of yourself and others you must not bring wheelie bins to a household waste and recycling site. 

• book and pay for a bulky collection for your garden waste
  Please note: we do not compost garden waste when we collect it as part of a bulky collection. 

• compost garden waste and most food items at home.

Why is there a tag on my brown bin?

We’ll leave a tag on your bin if we haven’t been able to empty it because:

• there was something in there we do not collect
  
• it’s too heavy to tip into the bin lorry. 

The tag lists items that shouldn’t be in your brown bin. Remove any such items and place your bin out on your next collection date.

Find out what you can do with extra garden or food waste if you can’t wait this long. 

Can I request a brown bin?

What happens to the waste I put in my brown bin?

All the waste you put in your brown bin is taken to an in-vessel composting (IVC) facility where it processed over time to become compost.

Each year we hold compost giveaways for East Riding residents.

What and when are household compost giveaways?

Free compost giveaways to be held next month free compost giveaways run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council will be back in May 2022.

Eight giveaway events will be held across the area between Monday 9 May and Saturday 21 May, where around 5,000 bags of compost will be handed out for free to local residents.

Residents are invited to drive along to their nearest event, where two 15kg bags of compost will be placed into each of their car boots.

As always, the compost being given away will be made directly from the garden and food waste which East Riding residents recycle in their brown bins.

The scheme has been running a number of years and returned in September after a Covid break. All events will be Covid-safe and residents are asked to stay in their vehicles.

Cllr Chris Matthews, the council’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: “Compost giveaways are really important because they are the council’s way of giving back to residents and thanking them for continuing to recycle.

“The East Riding is still one of the top areas in the country for recycling and that’s down to the fantastic efforts of residents.”

Brown bins can be used to recycle grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, small branches, leaves, flowers and weeds, all cooked and uncooked food, peelings, plate scrapings, bones, bread, meat, egg shells and small amounts of soups, sauces and gravies - all of it gets collected and then transformed into compost.

Dates for the giveaways in 2022 are listed below. They will also be advertised in local newspapers, our own newsletter, 'Your East Riding', which is delivered to your home, and on our Facebook and Twitter sites.

Free compost will be given away at the following events:

Video also available

A video from the 2018 compost giveaway filmed at Driffield Showground:

Are there any other ways to reduce food waste?

Find out more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and how it can help save money.