Basingstoke and Deane caddies took 4,262 tonnes of food out of the rubbish bin in the first year, and the new trucks are named Peels on Wheels and Core Patrol.

Households in Basingstoke and Deane recycled about 4,262 tonnes of food waste in the first year of weekly caddy collections. That is roughly 82 tonnes a week that no longer went into the rubbish bin.

The council published the figure on Thursday 29 October, a year after the service started. It says the weight is about the same as 355 double-decker buses. (Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, news release 10809, 29 October 2026)

The food is turned into green energy and fertiliser.

The figures

The borough runs its bin collections jointly with Hart District Council. The council’s figures for the first year are:

  • 4,262 tonnes collected in Basingstoke and Deane
  • 2,700 tonnes in Hart
  • 6,962 tonnes across both, which the council puts at the weight of almost 1.4 million pumpkins
  • about 29% of what residents used to put in the rubbish bin can now go in the food caddy instead

“Already we know that over half of the borough’s residents are using their food waste service and we’re delighted by this response,” said Cllr Laura James, the borough’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing.

That also means a large share of households are not using it yet.

Across the boundary, Councillor Alan Oliver, portfolio holder for waste services at Hart District Council, said: “Our first year of food waste recycling has been a real success. Recycling 2,700 tonnes of food waste in just one year is a remarkable achievement that shows how small actions at home can have a big impact. Every caddy put out for collection is helping to reduce waste, boost recycling and move us closer to our recycling targets. I’d urge anyone who hasn’t tried food waste recycling yet to give it a go.”

Trucks with names

The food waste trucks have been repainted with recycling artwork designed by 11 primary-school-aged children from Basingstoke and Deane and Hart.

Residents suggested names for them too. The ones chosen include:

  • Peels on Wheels
  • Core Patrol
  • The Very Hungry Caddyfiller
  • Scrappy Doo

“The fantastic designs on our food waste trucks really support this message and I’d like to say a huge thank you and congratulations to the young people who created them,” Cllr James said.

Why it matters more now

The borough moved rubbish to fortnightly collections from 12 October, with the rubbish and recycling bins now going out on alternate weeks. Food waste is the one collection that stays weekly. We explained the new pattern when it started.

So the caddy is where anything that smells should go. Food left in the rubbish bin now waits two weeks for a lorry.

“Now is a great time for residents to make the most of this weekly service provided, diverting food waste, that will smell and rot, away from the rubbish bin and putting it into their food waste caddy to be collected every week,” Cllr James said.

The council also faces government targets. Its release says recycling rates must reach 65% by 2035, and the rubbish thrown away each year must fall to 287kg per person by 2042.

“We’ve introduced more opportunities for residents to recycle so that we can reduce what gets thrown away and make better use of materials through recycling,” Cllr James said.

What it means for you

  • You can start any time. Put the outdoor caddy out on your collection day, every week.
  • Bag it first. All food waste must be in a liner or a plastic bag. An old bread bag will do. The council says the bags are taken out and incinerated before the food is recycled.
  • Need a caddy? Order one at basingstoke.gov.uk/recycling or call 01256 844844. The QR code on the top of the silver indoor caddy takes you to the same place.
  • Live in Hart? Go to hart.gov.uk/food-waste-collections or call 01252 622122.
  • What goes in: peelings, plate scrapings, eggshells, meat bones and other kitchen leftovers.

Your collection day is on our bin collection days page.