It's easy to recycle your food waste by using a kitchen caddy to collect your food scraps and then putting them in the green bin. This is great for our environment and economy.
Free compostable bags
Reuse supermarket compostable produce bags in your kitchen caddy.
The bags available in produce sections at shops and supermarkets are now certified compostable. They can be used in kitchen caddies and can go in your green bin. They're made from natural plant starch and completely dissolve into compost.
If you're not sure whether a bag can go in your green bin, simply look for the seeding logo as seen below. This tells you it can go in your green bin.
We recommend keeping the produce bags from supermarkets to reuse them in your kitchen caddy at home.
From garbage to garden - hints from households
Food waste recycling looks different in every household, and residents have found smart, surprising ways to do it better. Discover their best tips and tricks and see how your approach compares. Their insights might just change the way you think about food waste, why recycling it matters and easy adjustments you can make too.
All food scraps, cooked and raw, can be collected in your kitchen caddy and placed into the green organics bin along with your garden clippings.
Food scraps can include:
Fruit and vegetables including citrus
Meat/ chicken
Bones
Cheese and yoghurt
Food from the fridge that has spoiled (removed from packaging)
Seafood
Egg shells
Teabags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
Bread and cake
Cooked leftovers/ plate scrapings
You can also include:
Tissues
Paper towels and paper napkins
Hair and nail clippings
Shredded paper
How to get your free kitchen caddy
You can pick up a free kitchen caddy and starter roll of compostable liners from any of the following council facilities:
Administration Centre on Sturt Road
City Services depot on Marion Road
Cove Civic Centre library
Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre
Marion Cultural Centre Library
Park Holme library
Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre
Glandore Community Centre
Green bin tips for warmer months
It's easy to keep your green bin free from odours and pests, even in the summer heat!
Here's how:
Line your green bin to stop food sticking to the bottom. Use leaves, weeds, grass clippings, shredded paper, or cardboard (with the plastic tape removed).
Layer it - like a lasagne. Cover food scraps every time you put them in your green bin (bagged, wrapped or loose) with lawn clippings, leaves, weeds, cardboard or shredded paper to deter flies and absorb moisture and smells.
Freeze any smelly meat, seafood or dairy scraps until collection day, particularly in warmer weather.
Keep your green bin in the shade if you can.
Empty your caddy every 2-3 days, even if it isn't full.
Put your green bin out every fortnight for collection, even if it isn't full.
Sprinkle bicarbonate soda on top of food scraps.
Ensure the green bin is undamaged and the lid stays closed.
Other frequently asked questions
How do I use my kitchen caddy?
Keep your caddy in the kitchen somewhere that is easy to access.
Line the caddy with a compostable bag. The bags will be provided with your kitchen caddy.
Use your caddy to dispose food scraps, paper towels and tissues.
Change the liner every 2-3 days (even if your caddy isn't full), tie off the bag and place it in your green bin.
Where can I get more compostable bags when I run out?
A starter roll of bags comes with the kitchen caddy which should last around 6 months.
You can get compostable bags for your kitchen caddy when you buy fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. The fruit and veg bags are all compostable, so they can be used as kitchen caddy liners and can go in your green bin.
Alternatively, you can collect a roll of 75 compostable bags from one of the Council venues listed below or request delivery to your home.
Council offices
Administration Centre, 245 Sturt Road, Sturt
City Services, 935 Marion Road, Mitchell Park
Libraries
Cove Civic Centre Library, 1 Ragamuffin Drive, Hallett Cove
Marion Cultural Centre Library, 287 Diagonal Road, Oaklands Park
Park Holme Library, 1 Duncan Avenue, Park Holme
Neighbourhood Centres
Glandore Community Centre, 25 Naldera Street, Glandore
Mitchell Park Sports and Community Centre, 187 Bradley Grove, Mitchell Park
Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre, 34 Hessing Crescent, Trott Park
Please bring proof of residence when collecting your free replacement rolls of kitchen caddy bags.
Due to insufficient demand to make the service viable, the City of Marion will no longer be offering a home delivery service for compostable kitchen caddy liners from Tuesday 27 May 2025. Access has never been easier from the supermarket or one of our above-listed facilities.
What can I line my caddy with?
When you collect loose fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, you can use these bags in your kitchen caddy. These bags feature a seedling logo to confirm they meet the Australian Standards for compost.
Bags labelled as biodegradable, bio, eco or degradable cannot be used, as these can still contain plastic which does not completely break down and is not acceptable in the commercial organic compost processing of our green bin contents.
Compostable bags or bin liners are made of natural plant starch and will break down in the composting process just like food scraps do for use on agricultural soils and gardens.
We recommend storing your compostable liners in a cool and dry place to prolong their shelf life.
Where does my food and garden waste end up?
All green bins in the City of Marion are collected by Cleanaway and taken to Peats Soil and Garden Supplies in regional SA, where it is processed into compost. The food scraps and garden clippings are chopped, shredded and placed into large piles. Once the materials break down with the help of heat, moisture and microbes over 8-10 weeks, it is screened to remove any contaminants and the finished compost product is used on farms and gardens to enrich the soil.
What if I don’t have a green organics bin?
If you do not have a green organics bin and would like one, please contact Cleanaway via their online portal, or by phone on 1800 777 844.
If I move out of the house, should I take the kitchen caddy with me?
No, the kitchen caddy should remain with the property if you move out as it is an addition to the green bin collection service.
Reducing Food Waste
Home composting is the most environmentally sustainable method of recycling food and garden waste into nutrient-rich compost for putting back into the soil.
