Monday January 19th 2026
Food caddy bin
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Cash-strapped Scottish Borders Council has withdrawn the provision of free food waste bags after the cost was deemed financially unsustainable.
The caddy liner bags will no longer be available from next month.
The decision comes a decade after the introduction of the kerbside collection service.
The provision of free liners is not a legal requirement, and this change brings the local authority into line with many other Scottish councils.
The council delivered approximately 936,000 liners each year, and is “not able to sustain the ongoing costs in the current financial climate”.
The change will apply once the current stock of liners runs out which is estimated to be the end of January/beginning of February.
A range of alternatives are available, including:
– Place food waste loose into the caddy – a liner/bag is not required, but may result in additional cleaning of the caddy
– Using kitchen roll or newspaper to line the caddy
– Reuse plastic bags eg bread/cereal/salad bags
– Purchasing compostable liners – these are available locally and online
An SBC spokesperson said: “All of the above can be dealt with at the food waste processing facility. Please do not use black bin bags, plastic pots, tubs or trays.”
Councillor Jenny Linehan, SBC’s executive member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport, said: “While the food waste service is a statutory requirement for us to provide in communities over a certain size, providing the caddy liners is not and there are a number of low or no-cost alternative options available to households that receive the food waste service.
“Recycling food waste removes this from general waste bins, helps protect the environment and saves resources and can be turned into renewable energy and nutrient-rich compost.
“We’d like to thank residents who recycle their food waste and would encourage those in our collection areas who don’t yet to start now.”
The food waste service can take all cooked and uncooked food waste, including meat and bones, fish, rice and pasta, fruit and vegetables. All food should be removed from its packaging.
For more information on the food waste service see www.scotborders.gov.uk/foodwaste
The Midlothian Council stopped providing free food waste bags back in 2019.
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