Food caddies will start to be delivered from today across Stafford Borough

Around 60,000 households across Stafford Borough will start receiving new food waste caddies from today, including homes in Stafford, Stone, Eccleshall and other parts of the borough, as part of a new weekly collection service being introduced in line with Government requirements.

Stafford Borough Council says deliveries begin on 16 March 2026 and are expected to take around three to four weeks to complete. Weekly food waste collections are then due to start from Monday 13 April 2026.

The council says households will receive a small 7 litre kitchen caddy, a larger 23 litre kerbside caddy, a roll of liners and detailed instructions on how the new service will work. The external caddy will need to be placed out on the usual collection day alongside existing bins and be visible from the road. Food waste will be collected by a separate vehicle and may be emptied at a different time to other bins.

There is no extra charge for the caddies or the collection service. The council says the rollout is happening because the Government’s simpler recycling initiative requires all local councils to introduce a separate food waste service in 2026. In practice, that means this is a borough-wide service change rather than an optional local scheme.

What can go in the caddy

Stafford Borough Council says both raw and cooked food can go in the new caddies. That includes fruit and vegetables, peelings, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, eggs and egg shells, rice, pasta, uneaten food, tea bags and coffee grounds. Domestic pet food is also accepted.

The caddies cannot be used for food packaging, garden waste, liquids, oils, fats or other non-food waste.

Why the change is happening

The council says food waste currently makes up around a third of household rubbish that is incinerated, and that the average household throws away around £800 of edible food each year. By collecting food waste separately, it says the waste can be sent for anaerobic digestion, where it is turned into energy and bio-fertiliser.

Extra details for flats

The council says flats with communal bin stores will work slightly differently. Each flat will get a smaller kitchen caddy for use indoors, but the larger outside container will be a communal food waste bin in the bin store rather than an individual kerbside caddy. The service for flats is expected to begin later, in May or June 2026.

What residents should do now

For now, residents across the borough, including in Stafford, Stone and Eccleshall, are being asked to look out for the delivery, read the leaflet when it arrives and get ready for the new weekly routine from 13 April.

The council also says extra liners will be available through a tag system on the roll, as well as from the Civic Centre and local libraries.