With talk of indoor caddies, outdoor caddies, liners, and red-lidded bins, do you understand what’s going on?
07:56, 30 Mar 2026Updated 10:34, 30 Mar 2026
From the start of March, households will start to receive 240-litre red-lidded bins for free fortnightly collections of paper and cardboard, as well as new food waste recycling caddies(Image: Middlesbrough Council)
New recycling and food waste collections are incoming and everyone seems to have an opinion – either good or bad. But with talk of indoor caddies, outdoor caddies, liners, and red-lidded bins, do you understand what’s going on, which items you have to put where and when this all starts?
If you live in Middlesbrough, here’s a handy guide that will hopefully help you get to grips with the changes – which will see food waste collected weekly from homes from this summer.
Middlesbrough Council is already delivering new bins and caddies to households across the town, and it will also begin to collect paper and cardboard separately from other recycling, for example.
Here’s everything the authority says you need to know on the biggest bin shake-up for years:
What is changing?
As it stands, the council currently collects household waste from black bins and mixed recycling from blue-lid bins. The bins are collected in alternating weeks, every fortnight.
New collections being launched this summer will see an extra, weekly collection of food waste. Council refuse workers will now also collect paper and cardboard from a new red-lidded bin every fortnight on top of the blue-lid bin collections.
Why is this happening now?
Middlesbrough isn’t the only council to make these changes. Many other places across the country have been successfully collecting waste this way for some time.
All other councils – including others across Teesside – are now required by law to bring in these changes this year as part of the government’s drive to improve recycling rates.
What do they mean by food waste?
Food waste includes left-overs, waste like vegetable peelings, apple cores and egg shells as well as things we can’t eat like teabags and bones from meat. Most households will get a small five-litre caddy to keep in the kitchen, along with a roll of compostable liners and a larger 23 litre outdoor caddy.
Food waste is placed into these bags and then into the outside caddy – which is much smaller than a regular wheeled bin – and put out for collection every week.
Why do I need another recycling bin?
The new red-lid bin being delivered now across Middlesbrough will be used to recycle paper and cardboard. Households will keep their existing blue-lid bin. These will be used to recycle tins, glass and plastic.
When the service begins in the summer, those who currently use clear sacks for recycling will separately get a roll of red sacks for plastic and cardboard.
Does everyone need to take part?
Every household in Middlesbrough will receive a food waste caddy for their kitchen and most will get the larger caddy for outdoors. Those living in flats will be informed on how food waste collections will work for them.
Middlesbrough Council wants everyone to try using the new red-lid bin, but households can opt out of receiving one if they wish. However, once the new service starts residents will not be able to put cardboard and paper in the blue-lid bin. If they do, it would not be collected.
Those households who decide they don’t want a red-lid bin would need to use red plastic sacks to recycle paper and cardboard instead, which can be collected from community hubs across the town ahead of collections beginning.
READ MORE: ‘World’s gone mad’: New bin rules incoming as Teessiders share views on recycling changes
Why do I have to do this?
Middlesbrough Council wants to improve recycling rates in the town. One of Middlesbrough’s main challenges is wet cardboard. Once cardboard and paper is wet, it can’t be recycled. Separating it from the other recycling helps keep it clean and reduce contamination, meaning more waste can be recycled which is great for the environment.
Recycling more waste and getting food waste collected every week will mean residents will not have refuse sitting in their black bin for two weeks.
When is this happening?
New bins are already being delivered across the town and will continue to be delivered throughout March, April, May and June. The new caddies and bins are free and are paid for by central government.
Collections will start this summer, with more information to be released by the council once bins and caddies are delivered. Residents can check their bin collection dates and sign up for weekly reminders about which bins to put out by visiting www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/bin-collection-dates
What if I need more information?
Many households will have noticed a “coming soon” tag attached to the handle of their current black bin after it’s been emptied. This has more information about the new services, while a new “coming soon” leaflet will also be delivered to every household.
Information is also available online here.
‘We want to improve recycling rates’
Councillor Peter Gavigan, the council’s Executive member for Environment and Sustainability, said: “These are some of the biggest changes to the way we collect waste and recycling for many years, so we’ll do everything we can to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“Around half of homes in England now have food waste collection and it’s time for us to make this important change which will have long-term benefits for all of us. Food waste accounts for around a third of the average household bin, so by recycling it we will reduce the impact of harmful greenhouse gases released into the environment. It’s all part of our overall aim to improve our recycling rates, and we will be working alongside our residents to make a real and lasting difference.”
Did you know you can make Teesside Live a preferred source of Teesside news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it by clicking here.
For the latest Teesside news direct to your inbox every day, sign up to our free newsletter