A fee of £7 will apply to all orders of new and replacement 7L kitchen food waste caddies.
Additional kitchen food waste container fees
Since the introduction of our domestic waste and recycling collections, the council have continued to offer new and replacement containers free of charge. However, due to rising economic pressures, the council can no longer offer this.
On 26 September 2024 council members approved the introduction of a £7 fee.
This fee will apply to replacement or additional 7L kitchen food waste caddies. These caddies will remain the property of South Hams District Council. Residents' first caddies will not incur a fee.
This fee will be effective from 20 December 2024.
The fee is designed to help preserve council waste resources for essential services and to encourage the long-term use of these food caddies, reducing unnecessary replacements. This will ensure that resources and funds can be focused to the continued effective delivery of our waste service for our residents.
To order a new kitchen caddy please complete the form via the link below:
Frequently asked questions
You can read answers to frequently asked questions about the fee below.
Frequently asked questions - Food waste caddy fees
What is happening?
When is the fee being introduced?
The fee will be introduced on 20 December 2024.
Why are you charging a fee?
Since the introduction of our domestic waste and recycling collections, the council have continued to offer new and replacement containers free of charge. However, due to rising economic pressures, the council can no longer offer this.
The fee is designed to help preserve council waste resources for essential services and to encourage the long-term use of these food caddies, reducing unnecessary replacements. This will ensure that resources and funds can be focused to the continued effective delivery of our waste service for our residents.
Is the council allowed to impose this fee?
Under the Environment Protection Act, local authorities are permitted to specify the size and type of container used for rubbish and recycling collections. This also permits the council to charge when new and replacement bins are required.
How will savings be spent?
The income will help to offset the costs associated with providing new and replacement containers and will deliver savings that will help the council to balance its budget in 2024/25 and beyond.
Will people own the replacement bins?
The containers will remain the property of the council.
What if my new caddy has been delivered with a defect?
Contact us for a replacement container to be provided free of charge, where it has been reported as faulty within 7 days of delivery.
What if people can’t afford the charge?
The charge is intended to encourage residents to take responsibility for the wheeled bins and boxes provided and to reduce demand for replacement containers. We have kept the charge as modest as possible.
How do South Hams Council’s charges compare with other authorities?
Our charges have been benchmarked against other boroughs and the charge proposed compares favourably with others that charge only for delivery or admin costs.
My caddy has taken longer than 10 days to arrive. Do I still have to pay?
In a vast majority of cases, bins are delivered in less than 10 days. If there are any temporary delays to timescales for operational reasons, this will be highlighted on the container page of the website. There will be no refunds for delays to delivery.
Can I buy my own bin from somewhere else?
Residents can opt to provide their own caddy, providing it meets the requirements stated by the council which can be found at the link below: