Residents across Tamworth Borough and Lichfield District will soon be able to recycle their food waste every week as the joint waste service prepares to launch new food waste collections from 20 July 2026.
Deliveries of new food waste caddies have begun today, Monday 15 June, and continue over approximately five weeks, with around 160,000 caddies being delivered to 80,000 households across Lichfield District and Tamworth Borough ahead of the service launch. Deliveries to flats and apartments will take place under a separate schedule at the end of June and will be tailored to the specific needs of each block.
Weekly food waste collections are scheduled to begin on your usual bin collection day, from Monday 20 July onwards, once caddy deliveries have been completed.
The new service, operated jointly by Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council, will enable residents to recycle a wide range of food waste from their kitchens, helping reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal and increasing recycling rates across the area.
Each household will receive:
- A small kitchen caddy for collecting food waste indoors
- A larger outdoor food waste caddy, to be put out with your normal bins for weekly collection
- A roll of caddy liners
- An information pack explaining how the new service will work and what can be recycled
Food waste makes up a significant proportion of the average household rubbish bin. Once collected, the material will be recycled through anaerobic digestion, where it is used to generate renewable energy and produce fertiliser for agriculture.
Residents will be able to recycle a wide range of food waste, including:
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Meat and fish
- Dairy products
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Leftovers and plate scrapings
The introduction of food waste collections follows new government legislation, Simpler Recycling, which requires all councils to provide separate food waste recycling services and forms part of wider efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling rates across both districts.
On behalf of the joint waste service, Councillor Phil Whitehouse, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Operational Services, Parks and Waste, said: “Food waste no longer has to go in your normal waste bin. By collecting it separately in your food waste caddy every week, we can turn everyday food scraps into renewable energy and fertiliser rather than sending them to the energy from waste plant.
“The new service is simple to use and will make it easier for residents to recycle more of their household waste. Over the coming weeks, households across Lichfield District and Tamworth will receive their new food waste caddies and information packs ahead of collections starting later this summer.
“We would encourage residents to read the information provided and get ready to take part in the new service."
Residents are asked to keep an eye out for their food waste caddies and information pack, which will be delivered directly to their homes before collections begin.
Due to the scale of the rollout, some households will receive their caddies before others. Residents are asked to be patient while deliveries take place and wait until the rollout period has ended before contacting their council about a missing caddy by visiting www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/caddies .
Further information about the service, including collection arrangements, frequently asked questions and launch dates, will be shared through council websites, social media channels and resident communications over the coming weeks.