1-2-3 Waste Collection
Your new 1-2-3 waste collection service is coming soon
Mid Sussex is changing its waste collection service.
From November, bin collections for people who live in Mid Sussex will include new weekly food waste collections. Here's how your bin collection cycle will look:
- Every week, we’ll collect your food waste in your new green food waste bin.
- Every second week, we’ll collect mixed recycling from your existing blue-lidded wheelie bin.
- Every three weeks we’ll collect your rubbish bin from your existing black-lidded wheelie bin.
You will receive two new bins for food waste, including a small kitchen caddy (5 litre size) for use inside the home and a bin (23 litre size) for outside that will be emptied during collection.
If you live in a building with a communal bin store, you will receive a small caddy for you to use in your kitchen. Your building will also receive a 140-litre wheelie bin to go in your bin store for shared use.
Collection crews will empty your outdoor food waste bin on a weekly basis for both general households, flats and buildings with communal bins.
By following the new weekly food waste collection schedule and separating your food waste correctly, you’ll help reduce the amount of food waste in households and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a simple and effective way for you to actively contribute to a cleaner, greener Mid Sussex.
Mid Sussex residents have shared that they want food waste collection services in the district. We also know residents are increasingly concerned about the impact of food waste on the environment – that’s why we’re changing the food waste collection services in the district.
In September 2024, 5000 residents in Mid Sussex took part in a successful trial on introducing a food waste collection service. Following the trial, the majority of participants said that they wanted to recycle food waste from now on.
Minimising the environmental impact of food waste is a priority of the UK government. We’re supporting this in Mid Sussex by implementing a weekly food waste collection service, aiming to reduce the amount of food waste in households and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In Mid Sussex, 38% of the average household rubbish bin is made up of food waste. By using a new food waste kitchen caddy and bin, households can remove significant waste from their general waste bins and collect it separately, helping to reduce landfill and support a more sustainable future.
Food waste kitchen caddies and outdoor bins will be distributed to households and communal buildings from 22 September.
The new 1-2-3 collection service will begin from 3 November. In the first week, the food waste will be collected from the new caddies. In the second week, mixed recycling will be collected from your blue bins. In the third week, general waste will be collected from your existing black bin.
The same schedule will then be repeated in a three-week cycle.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
We're introducing food waste collection based on feedback from our residents and new legislation from government.
Mid Sussex residents have shared with us that they want food waste collection. We know residents are increasingly concerned about the impact of food waste on the environment.
Food waste collection will become mandatory for all councils by March 2026. Mid Sussex District Council will be the first council in West Sussex to make the change.
Ahead of these changes coming into effect, we ran pilot trials with more than 5,000 households to test the 1, 2, 3 waste collection scheme. Following the trials, almost nine out of ten households responded positively
Yes – households will receive two new bins, including a 5-litre kitchen caddy designed to use inside and a 23-litre bin for outside. Those living in communal flats will receive a 5-litre kitchen caddy for inside and the communal building will also receive a 140-litre wheelie bin.
New bins will be delivered to households first from the 22 September, and then communal flats in October.
The new schedule for waste collection services will start for everyone from 3 November.
Every week, we’ll collect your food waste in your new green food waste bin.
Every second week, we’ll collect mixed recycling from your existing blue-lidded wheelie bin.
Every third week, we’ll collect your general rubbish collection from your existing black wheelie bin.
Your current bin collection schedules will be changing. In the coming months, we’ll be updating your collection schedule. Please visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/waste-recycling for more information on these changes.
Store your silver kitchen caddy inside your home and place your cooked and uncooked food waste into the caddy. When your caddy inside is full, simply empty it into the food waste outdoor bin. Place the outdoor bin for collection by 7am on your designated collection day.
If you wish to line your food waste kitchen caddy, you'll need to use compostable liners or newspaper but it is not obligatory – for those who choose to line their caddy, your household will need to purchase compostable liners as we don’t supply them.
Cooked and uncooked food waste can go in your food waste bin, including:
✔ meat - including bones
✔ fish and shellfish
✔ dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt
✔ cooked and uncooked vegetables and fruit including peelings
✔ bread, cakes and pastries
✔ rice, pasta and beans
✔ uneaten plate scrapings
✔ tea bags and coffee grounds
✔ eggshells
✔ solid fats
✔ pet food
✔ mouldy and out-of-date food
Please remove all plastic and packaging from food waste before putting it in your kitchen caddy, before it goes in your outside bin. Remove any foil, clingfilm or please do not use plastic bags to line your kitchen caddy and use compostable liners or newspaper instead.
The following items should not be placed into your food waste bin:
✖ packaging of any sort (e.g. packaged ready-meals, clingfilm or plastic film lids)
✖ non-food products or materials (e.g. bamboo or compostable cutlery)
✖ oils and liquids (e.g. used cooking oil)
✖ animal waste and bedding
✖ garden waste such as cut flowers
We recommend cleaning your food waste bin regularly to keep it from smelling. When you empty your kitchen caddy each week, we recommend giving your bin quick rinse with water. For a more thorough clean, you can use half a lemon or a mix of white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. You can also put your caddy in the dishwasher. Food scraps can also be stored in your freezer each week until your weekly food waste collection day.
Residents are not required to contribute any additional costs for this service.
For more information, visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/waste-recycling
Weekly food waste collections will reduce the risk of any flies, maggots or pests that would otherwise be attracted to your general waste bin.
When closed, the lid on your outside food waste kitchen caddy clicks into place. If knocked over, this will contain any waste inside.
You can choose to line the caddy with recycled newspaper or with compostable liners and clean the kitchen caddy a little more frequently to prevent unpleasant smells.
Use your lockable green food kitchen caddy for any food waste indoors. When it is full, transfer it to your outside bin for collection every week. This will help avoid smells and should not attract foxes and vermin.
You can also avoid flies being attracted to your rubbish by:
- Putting all your food waste into your external food waste bin with the securing the lockable lid
- Wrapping any potentially smelly food waste in newspaper
- Keeping your bins out of direct sunshine
- Rinsing your bins and caddy out with hot water and washing up liquid, or disinfectant, or preferably, lemon juice or white wine vinegar, which are kinder to the environment
We understand that some households need to dispose of items like nappies and adult hygiene products on a regular basis. This was considered during the pilot trial, where residents could opt in to a free additional collection for absorbent hygiene products (AHP). However, demand for this service was low. Because of this, offering district-wide collections is not currently an option. As we roll out the new system, we'll continue to monitor feedback, and we may revisit the need for this service.
We are committed to supporting sustainability and recycling in the district, however in instances when a high volume of offensive waste is placed in refuse bins, we'd recommend double bagging items (including nappies) to prevent any odours between collections.
You can choose not to use the indoor kitchen caddy and take any food waste directly to the larger outdoor caddy. However, the grey kitchen caddy can be easily kept on a worktop, under the kitchen sink or cupboard that houses non-food products.
Food waste makes up a large part of the general waste produced in Mid Sussex. By collecting food waste separately every week and collecting recycling every two weeks, households are likely to find there's much less going into their general rubbish bin.
We encourage residents to make full use of all three bins under the new system. During the trial, most households found they had enough space in their general waste, with 9 out of 10 households happy to continue with the new approach.
We understand that some households might produce more waste and find it harder to adjust. If that's the case, please get in touch at wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk for advice and support.
We understand that some households might produce more waste and find it harder to adjust to three-weekly general waste collections. If that's the case, please get in touch at wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk for advice and support.
If you live in a communal building, you’ll receive a new food waste caddy for indoors and your communal building will also receive a large food waste bin.
You can collect your food waste in your small kitchen caddy and empty it into the larger food waste bin that will be stored in the same place as your general waste bins. Collection crews will empty food waste bins on a weekly basis for both general households, flats and communal buildings.
The existing garden waste service won't change, however residents may find their collection day has changed and where possible this is now aligned with your collection day to simplify the collection process.
We are currently suspending new subscriptions during this busy implementation period to enable our teams to provide and resource the new food waste collections and revised collection schedule. Please refer to our Garden Waste webpage for updates.
No, an increasing number of councils in England, Scotland and Wales already have a three-weekly cycle for collection of general waste, with some in Wales and Scotland having monthly collections.
You will be able to put out extra recycling for collection over the Christmas holidays.
In addition, your local recycling centres will be open over the festive period, bar particular public holidays.
Please check your local centre for their opening dates and times.
Collection days will be changing for all residents. You will be able to check your new collection schedule on our Bin Collection webpage.
Please remember, even if your collection day has not changed, due to the district-wide rollout of the new food waste collection service, the time your bins are collected may change, so please ensure your bins are put out for collection by 7am.
You can check your food waste, recycling, and general waste collection days using the Bin Collection webpage.
Bin collection schedules are changing for all residents, including those who have been part of the 1, 2, 3 trials. We recommend checking your bin schedule on our Bin Collection page prior to 3rd November to view your up-to-date bin schedule.