Brown Bins for Businesses: Why Food Waste Recycling Matters

In Ireland, businesses that produce food waste, whether it’s a café, restaurant, hotel, or a supermarket, are required to separate that waste at source. This means you can’t just toss food scraps such as rotten fruit and vegetables, and other organic waste in with general rubbish. Instead, they need to go into a brown bin for proper collection and recycling by an authorised waste collector.

This rule also means that food waste macerators (those sink grinders that wash scraps into the sewer) are no longer allowed. Even if a business has a discharge licence, disposing of food this way is prohibited under the Food Waste Regulations. The aim is simple: keep food waste out of drains and landfill sites, and put it to better use.

Why Brown Bins Are So Important

Food waste is more than just scraps on a plate; it’s a huge environmental issue. When it ends up in landfills, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that’s far more harmful than carbon dioxide. Add to that the resources used to produce, transport, and store food across the food supply chain, and the impact of waste is massive.

Recycling food waste through brown bins helps solve this. Instead of rotting in landfills, food waste and green waste are transformed into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertilisers for Irish farms and horticulture. Every tonne recycled instead of landfilled prevents about half a tonne of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. That’s a win-win for businesses and the planet.

While Ireland currently recycles around 160,000 tonnes of bio-waste each year, the potential is there to increase this to 550,000 tonnes. That’s a huge opportunity for businesses to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals and Ireland’s waste management targets.

What Can Go in the Brown Bin?

You can put almost all organic waste into a brown bin, including:

• Raw and cooked meat, fish, and bones
• Dairy products and eggshells
• Fruit, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Food-soiled napkins, paper towels, and pizza boxes
• Garden waste like grass cuttings and leaves

A Quick Tip: Look for the ‘seedling logo’ on packaging or coffee cups. This means it’s compostable and can go in your compost bin or brown bin. Never place it in the green recycling bin.

Business Benefits

Recycling food waste isn’t just about compliance; it can also save businesses money. By diverting heavy food waste from general waste bins, you’ll reduce landfill charges. It also sends a strong signal to customers that your business is serious about environmental protection and sustainability.

Whether you run a café, hotel, or retail outlet, demonstrating your commitment to reducing food waste supports Ireland’s climate action commitments and aligns with growing consumer demand for eco-conscious practices.

Making It Easy

Getting staff involved is key. Placing a small kitchen caddy with a compostable liner in food prep areas makes it simple for employees to separate waste. From eggshells to leftover chips, everything can go straight into the caddy before being transferred to the brown bin.

The more we recycle, the less we waste and the bigger the impact we make. With proper use of brown bins, Irish businesses can turn food waste into something valuable and help build a cleaner, greener future.

Need a quick guide? Download the Brown Bin Poster to make everyday food recycling easy.