How to recycle household food waste using a kitchen caddy

Learn how to choose the right kitchen caddy. Collect food scraps for your compost bin, worm farm, or local community composting hub.

Types of caddies

While you can buy a purpose-made kitchen caddy, you can also reuse or recycle an existing container like a:

• glass coffee jar
• ice cream, yoghurt or feta container
• old food storage container
• stainless steel cooking pot.

Caddies provided by Brisbane City Council

Council programs like the community composting hub offer 100% recycled plastic caddies to participants. If they crack or break, you can recycle them in your household yellow-lid recycling bin.

Key caddy features

A good kitchen caddy should have the following features:

• a tight-fitting lid that is easy to open
• a handle for carrying it to your disposal location
• a minimum capacity of two litres - size should be determined by the amount of food waste your household generates
• wide enough to scrape food scraps into from a standard cutting board
• conveniently sized so it fits on your benchtop or in your fridge.

Tips for using your caddy

• Empty your caddy every 1-3 days, or more often in warm weather. Rinse it after every use to avoid smells.
• Keep smelly foods in the freezer until you are ready to empty the caddy.
• If you have space, keep your caddy in your fridge to prevent insects.
  
• Do not place meat or dairy in the caddy.
• Firmly close the lid of the caddy after each use to prevent insects.
• Place a fly food cover net over your caddy to prevent insects.
• Place a cup of apple cider vinegar beside your caddy to capture vinegar flies. You will need to cover the top with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it.
  
• Sprinkle vinegar, bi-carb soda, charcoal, or eucalyptus oil in the caddy to absorb and dissipate odours.
• Put your caddy in the dishwasher or use kitchen soap for a thorough clean each week.

Do not use compostable bin liners

• Do not put any bags, including compostable ones, in Council's green waste recycling bins or composting hubs.
• Don't use compostable bin liners because:
  • they are made from materials such as potato or corn starch and require specific conditions to break down. These conditions are not always available in home composting systems
  • contribute to carbon emissions during the manufacturing and distribution process
  • are single-use items that can't be reused.

What to collect in your caddy

• fruit and vegetable scraps
• leftover food scraps (cooked and uncooked), excluding meat, bones, dairy and seafood
• takeaway food, excluding meat, bones, dairy and seafood
  
• loose leaf tea leaves, coffee grounds
• eggshells
• mouldy bread, cereal, pasta, rice, grains.

Note: Community composting hubs do not accept bread, cereal, pasta, rice, grains, or leftovers. 

Emptying your caddy

• When using a compost bin or worm farm, add carbon-rich materials like garden waste, dry grass, or leaves each time.
• Community composting hub - Empty your caddy in the clearly signed compost bins at community composting hubs. Add some 'brown' material, such as shredded paper, wood chips, or dry leaves. You'll find these at the hub to cover the scraps.
• Start composting at home—our compost rebate program, launched in 2020, makes composting and food waste recycling more affordable. Claim up to $200* for eligible composting equipment to start your home composting journey.

*See compost rebate program for more details.