Olio

Olio may charge partners up to £25 for infrequent one-off collections, but most fees are much lower, often under 5% of that.

Does Olio charge businesses £25 per Food Waste Hero collection?

Squad Captains lead local Olio teams, Support Food Waste Heroes, grow your community, and receive exclusive resources & updates.

How can I become a Squad Captain?

Food Waste Heroes collect unsold surplus food locally via app-claimed slots, with no experience or vehicle needed; pick what suits you.

What is a Food Waste Hero, and how do I get started?

Squad Captains lead Food Waste Hero squads. Apply via the Volunteer Hub, complete training, manage groups, or step down anytime in My Squads.

How do I become or step down as Squad Captain?

Newcomers can become FWHs because many do great work. Olio supports them with guidelines, training & monitoring, not just ratings.

Why does Olio let new or unrated people become Food Waste Heroes?

Save Me Collections let you keep some (or all) food from harder-to-fill slots; you still share via the app and follow impact-tracking rules

What is a ‘Save Me Collection’?

How can I fix login problems with the Volunteer Hub?

Your Food Waste Hero ID is listed under your active collection slots.

Where do I find my Food Waste Hero ID?

FWH rules on slots, skips, suspensions, sharing limits & ratings.

Food Waste Hero General Policies

Olio asks Food Waste Heroes to accept all collections, no matter how small, so surplus food isn’t wasted.

Do I have to pick up a food collection, even if it’s small?

FWH can collect from places like supermarkets, catering, travel hubs, convenience stores and TV/film sets, food types and times vary by sector.

Where can Food Waste Heroes collect surplus food from?

Set time limits, take breaks, set boundaries, communicate, and remember volunteering is voluntary - your wellbeing matters.

How can I take care of myself as a Food Waste Hero?

Mostly no, as Olio aims for local collections to be done by foot, bike or public transport. Cars sometimes needed for large or distant collections.

Do I need a car to do Food Waste Hero collections?

You’re auto-added to the Squad Chats for the store once you claim a slot, Olio Little Helper posts updates for your haul, and you can leave by unassigning the slot.

How do Squad Chats work?

Olio uses warnings, suspensions, or bans when FWH rules are broken—report issues via the app, and submit appeals if needed.

What happens when Food Waste Heroes break the rules?

Stores get a phone call 60 mins before a scheduled pickup to confirm surplus. Only staff confirm via keypad.

What is the automated phone call before store collections?

There are ongoing slots (happening regularly) and one-off slots (single helpers); you can try a one-off before committing.

What types of collection slots are there for Food Waste Heroes?

If you can’t make a collection, skip it or swap with someone else. Fellow FWHs can then cover via the Volunteer Hub.

How do I skip or swap my collection slot on Olio?

You can’t share a regular slot, but if you skip or pause it in the Volunteer Hub, another trained Food Waste Hero can claim/cover it.

Can someone else attend my collection on my behalf, if I can’t go?

You can have up to 3 collections on the same day of any type (ongoing or one-off). Ensure you can store & redistribute safely.

What is the maximum amount of collections can I claim?

Enable notifications in the Volunteer Hub and choose slot types and frequency to get alerts when there are new collection slots nearby.

How do I get notified for new collection slots near me?

If an ongoing slot is unclaimed, a message is sent to the squad and it becomes a one-off slot in the Volunteer Hub for anyone to claim.

What happens when a collection slot goes unclaimed?

Collection times may change on UK bank holidays — you’ll get a reminder, but please always double-check.

Bank holiday schedule for Food Waste Heroes

Claim or unassign a collection slot any time through the Volunteer Hub.

How to claim or unassign a collection slot

Keep collections local — ideally within 2 km — and never travel more than 1.5 hours with collection food.

How far can I travel for Food Waste Hero collections?

This label shows that food has definitely been confirmed for a collection slot.

What does the “Surplus Food Confirmed” label mean?

Usually this happens if your training isn’t complete, or you’ve already reached your slot limit.

Why can’t I claim a collection slot on the Volunteer Hub?

Only Squad Captains can be in a squad without an active slot. Everyone else must claim slots via the Volunteer Hub.

Can I be added to a squad as ‘standby cover’?

If you don’t collect or don’t list items, you’ll need to respond in squad chat, otherwise your slots may be removed.

Missed Collection Process

Don’t worry, if Olio’s Little Helper cancels your slot, it isn’t your fault.

Why has my collection slot been cancelled?

You’ll get a reminder 10 hours before your collection — confirm with a quick Yes/No so your squad knows if you can attend.

Collection Reminder Messages

Pilot collections test new business partners. Only FWHs with clean records can join; expect extra support and possible delays.

What are pilot collections?

Use clear photos, good titles, accurate descriptions, correct sharing categories & timely responses to improve your Olio listing success.

How to create an Olio Listing in 10 steps

Use clear photos, pre-list early, offer flexible pickup times and share widely, to boost listing views and requests.

How can I get more requests for my collection listings?

Pre-listings let you post ahead of a scheduled collection, so neighbours know when you're likely to list, so they can be ready to request. Especially helpful for late evening slots!

What are pre-listings, and how do I use them on Olio?

You can choose for your listing to go live in 5-60 mins instead of immediately, so you can finish uploading before seeing requests.

How can I schedule my Olio listing to go live later?

Assigned slots appear 10 hours pre-start and stay visible until 24 hrs after. If you’re assigned and still can’t see it, please report it.

Why isn’t my assigned collection slot showing in the dropdown?

Learn how to list, share, and manage surplus food safely and fairly as a Food Waste Hero using the Olio app.

Food Waste Hero Best Practices

Share food safely: label allergens, handle hot/cold/frozen items properly, respect use‑by dates, and store in a clean, suitable place.

How to Share Food Safely with Olio

Always share allergen info when requested for pre-packed, non-pre-packed & loose items. Use the allergen page or reject items with no info.

Allergens Guide for Food Waste Heroes

Hot food must be ≥ 63 °C, collected from approved businesses, redistributed in 1.5 h (or cooled & used within 24 h), no contact-less pickups.

How can I safely collect and share hot foods on Olio?

Squad Captains support and lead Food Waste Heroes by welcoming new members, ensure collections run smoothly, and liaise with stores.

Squad Captain Role

Indicate how many items are in your listing, so Olio can calculate your food‑saving impact correctly.

How should I count my collection items?

List unlabelled baked goods as “Loose bakery items” only. Please don’t name them.

How Do I List Unlabelled Loose Bakery Items on Olio?

Baskets help FWHs track who’s collecting what. Allocate quantities, update totals, and mark baskets as collected after pickup.

What Are Baskets, and How Do I Use Them?

FWHs can keep 10% of collected food—no need to list it. The other 90% must go on the app to be shared fairly with the community.

How Much Food Can I Keep from My Collection?

If you can't share all food, donate it, feed pets, compost it, or bin it. Never share food past its use-by date, without allergen info or for Animal Feed

What Should I Do With Surplus Food I Wasn't Able to Share?

All food must be shared via the Olio app, even with those in need. Direct giving isn’t allowed to ensure safety, traceability, and support.

Can I Share Food from My Collection with Homeless People?

‘0 Listings’ messages flag possible listing issues - like wrong slot, timing, or relisting. They help track impact and improve the process.

Why Am I Getting ‘0 Listings’ Messages in Squad Chat?

FWHs can keep Boots collections of 5 items or fewer - just list them under “Boots small collection” with quantity, photo, and correct slot.

Boots: Small Collection Policy

Follow strict freezing and thawing rules to safely share frozen food. Label properly, use within time limits, and never refreeze thawed items.

How Do I Safely Handle Frozen Food as a FWH?

The FWH leaderboard highlights top sharers each month. Track your impact and see rankings by volunteer and postcode in your dashboard.

Where Can I See the FWH Leaderboard Results?

FWHs must follow food safety rules. Olio’s insurance covers illness if you follow guidelines, but not injuries during volunteer activity.

Who’s Responsible for Food Safety, and What Does Olio’s Insurance Cover?

Food must be kept off floors and soft surfaces to avoid contamination and pests. Even crates must be placed on a table or kitchen work surface.

Why Must Food Be Kept Off the Floor?

Follow key safety rules to avoid suspension: store food right, meet hygiene standards, and never share food past its Use By date.

Food Waste Hero Food Safety Penalties

For no-contact pickups: ambient food must be sealed, chilled food in a cool bag (max 30 mins), and hot food must never be left out.

How Can I Safely Do No-Contact Pickups as a Food Waste Hero?

Olio’s rules follow expert advice from its UK Primary Authority. UK FWHs don’t need to register; ROI volunteers must register first.

Food Safety Regulations and Regulators

In Singapore, no food past any visible date can be shared. Chill food properly, list expiry dates, and store at 4°C or below.

Food safety in Singapore 🇸🇬

Only take what you can manage. Prioritise Use By items, ask your squad for help, or switch to a smaller slot if this happens often.

What If There’s More Food Than I Can Store or Share?

Charities take priority for slots. If a charity stops collecting, the slot may return to Olio, but we're unable to reassign it to the original FWH.

What Happens When a Charity Takes Over My Slot?

Olio only enforces rules that impact safety or fairness. Poor titles, no date in description, or hand-held items aren’t violations.

What Isn’t Considered Rule-Breaking for Food Waste Heroes?

You may not see slots if they're claimed, your location is too far, or no sites are nearby. Check your settings and refresh the Volunteer Hub.

Why Is a Collection Slot Missing or Unavailable to Me?

Assume good intent, stay respectful, and avoid escalation. Flag clearly offensive messages. Serious issues may lead to removal from the program.

What Should I Do If I Don’t Get Along with Another FWH?

User's can appeal warnings, suspensions, or bans within 1 week. Use the form provided. Reviews take 48–72 hrs.

How Do I Appeal a Warning, Suspension or Ban?

Collection times are set by businesses. Some may be late, but prelisting, teamwork, and prioritizing use-by items help you share successfully.

How Are Collection Times Decided for Food Waste Heroes?

If there’s an issue with your collection, such as no food, wrong time, or staff confusion, please report it via the Volunteer Hub and inform your squad.

What Should I Do If There’s a Problem with My Collection?

Real-time collections appear same-day with food confirmed. Look for “Surplus Food Confirmed” in the Hub. Only go after claiming & confirming.

Real-time Collections

In April 2023, we made some important changes to our volunteering roles. We’re removing a couple of our existing positions.

Updating our Volunteer Roles at Olio

Information of the Food Waste Hero programme

Food Waste Heroes

Find answers and get help from Intercom Support and Community Experts

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