Effective from January 1, 2024, the Household Food Waste and Bio-waste Regulations 2023, require all households to segregate their food waste. This waste must be collected by a waste collector, composted, or taken to an authorised facility. Waste collectors are obligated to provide a brown bin for food and light garden waste to all households and they must also keep records of customers who do not use the food waste collection service. 

All households must separate their food waste from other waste. For more advice on how to segregate food and other organic waste, visit www.mywaste.ie

Which compostable bags should I use in the brown bin?

Only compostable bags certified to EN 13432 should be used in food waste bins. 

What items are accepted in the brown bin?

The brown bin service accepts all types of food including raw and cooked meat and fish, plate scrapings, along with fruit and vegetable peelings. Other items that can go into the brown bin include food-soiled paper napkins, paper towels as well as grass clippings and light garden waste i.e. clippings, twigs and small branches.

What happens to the food and garden waste from a brown bin once it is collected?

The material from the brown bin is sent for composting or anaerobic digestion (AD) within Ireland. Anaerobic digestion processes food waste into a bio-gas, which is then used to generate electricity.

Can I compost at home?

Households can also compost their food waste at home or bring it to authorised facilities. Home composting means composting at the premises where the food waste or garden waste is originally produced.