‘What is the point?’: Local residents label new food caddies a waste of time and money

Solihull residents have been sharing their reactions to the new food waste caddies being delivered across the borough ahead of the launch of weekly food waste collections.

And while some residents have welcomed the new containers, others have questioned whether they are needed at all.

“What is the point?” one resident asked in response to Solihull Council's post about the caddy deliveries.

Another described the caddies as a “waste of money”, while one resident said: “They should have asked residents what they prefer.”

Several residents said they already compost much of their food waste.

One wrote: “I compost all fruit and veg peeling, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells. The dogs eat most of the leftovers, if there are any, so don't need these.”

Another said: “Waste goes into our compost. New bin goes into the shed.”

Others said they had very little food waste in the first place.

One resident wrote: “I live alone and have hardly any food waste... I don't waste food, never have. So these bins wont get used by me.”

There were also concerns about the potential for the caddies to attract flies and pests.

“Might be ok over the colder months but just wait til it’s warmer weather, I hope everyone likes maggots,” one resident commented.

Another said: “Got ours. It makes a great dog poo bin.”

One resident said they had already experienced a problem, writing: “I've already started putting stuff in it and opened it today to add some more stuff and flies burst out of it!”

Another questioned whether the containers would survive being left outside, saying: “How long before they are broken by bin person tossing it back on the side of road to be blown about by wind or into road and run over by traffic.”

But the caddies have also inspired plenty of more unusual suggestions.

One resident joked: “Free ice cooler for the summer!”

Another said: “Ye used mine as an ice bucket for my beers.”

A resident said their smaller caddy had been used as a “seed packet container”, while another said theirs was useful for “clothes pegs”.

Others suggested using the caddies for rabbit food, cleaning products and dry dog food.

Perhaps the most unusual suggestion came from one resident who wrote: “Mine is going to be a designer handbag — Caddy by Chanel”.

Not everyone commenting was against the new service. One resident said: “Yep, I've already started putting stuff in it”, while another said they were “very useful items”.

There were also several residents who said they were still waiting for their caddies.

“Not had ours yet,” one person wrote, while others posted “Nope, I'm still waiting for mine”, “Not received mine” and “Still waiting for mine”.

One resident claimed caddies had been delivered twice to an area nearby while their own household had received none.

Solihull Council is delivering a 7-litre kitchen caddy and a 23-litre lockable outdoor caddy to households with their own bins or sacks. The council says deliveries are taking place during August and September.

The new weekly food waste collection service will begin from Monday 5 October 2026, at the same time as most households move from weekly to fortnightly rubbish collections.