🛒 What is the Lidl and Olio trial?
Lidl is teaming up with Neighbourly and Olio to make sure more of its surplus food reaches the community 🙌
Here’s how it will work:
During the day, Lidl's charity partners will continue to collect Best Before food.
In the evening, charity partners that already collect from Lidl stores will be offered additional evening collections of surplus chilled produce and in-store bakery items.
Whenever charity partners can’t attend those evening collections, Olio Food Waste Heroes will step in to collect surplus food in the place of charities.
That way, Food Waste Heroes can act as an extra layer of surplus redistribution when a charity can't make a late collection.
It's a first-of-its-kind, three-way partnership between Lidl, Neighbourly and Olio 💚 thanks for being a part of it!
📅 When is the trial running?
The trial will run for 4 weeks, starting on 15th May 2026.
📍 Which stores are taking part?
20 stores across two regions are part of the trial: Newton Aycliffe and Luton.
Store | Address | Postcode |
Luton Hatters Way Retail Park | Chaul End Lane | LU4 8EZ |
Luton | Francis Street | LU1 1HU |
Hanwell | Unit 1, 90-94 Uxbridge Road | W7 3SU |
Walthamstow Central | Unit 57, 38 Selborne Walk | E17 7JR |
Walthamstow | 43-49 High Street | E17 7AD |
Harlow | Edinburgh Way | CM20 2DA |
Greenford | 309 Macmillan Court, Ruislip Rd East | UB6 9FH |
Waltham Cross | High Street | EN8 7AA |
Harrow | 13 Saint Anns Shopping Centre, Saint Anns Road | HA1 1AS |
Edgware | 51-55 High Street | HA8 7DD |
York James St | Osbaldwick, James Street | YO10 3WW |
Newcastle upon Tyne Lemington | Lemington, Scotswood Road | NE15 8AW |
Pickering | Ryedale District Council, Vivis Lane | YO18 8TB |
Alnwick | South Road | NE66 2QL |
Ashington | Northumberland, High Hirst Farm, Woodhorn Road Back | NE63 9AQ |
York Thanet Rd | Dringhouses, Thanet Road | YO24 2PE |
Newcastle Slatyford | Slatyford, Stamfordham Road | NE5 2SF |
Driffield | Mill Street | YO25 6TN |
Hexham | Unit 1, Hexham Gate Retail Park | NE46 3BS |
Morpeth | Stanley Terrace | NE61 1PA |
⏰ What time are collections?
Collections take place in a 15-minute window, between 9:45pm and 10:00pm, aligned to store close (10pm).
On Sundays, trading hours are shorter, so collections may shift earlier. Collection times will always be visible on the Volunteer Hub, and it'll always be the 15-minute window before the store closes ⏳
❌ If you don't receive a confirmation message, this means the store hasn't let Olio know whether there's food available to collect. If this happens, please assume there's no food and don't attend your collection. You don't need to report this, we'll check in with the store directly.
🥐 What food can be collected?
Evening Olio collections at Lidl focus on:
Use By food items coming to the end of their Use By date
In-store bakery bread, pastries and other bakery items made in store
✅ How do store colleagues verify a collector?
Collections are verified using a collection code. When you arrive at the store, please show your Volunteer ID (found on the Volunteer Hub).
If there's food available, a secondary confirmation message will be sent in the Squad Chat, this message will include a verification code (for example: '1234') that you'll need to share with store staff for the food to be released.
Without this code, staff won't be able to give away the food, so make sure you've got it ready before you arrive.
🔄 What happens if a charity can't make the evening collection?
There are two ways a Food Waste Hero can claim an evening collection:
📌 Ongoing slots - regular collections where no charity is signed up for the evening. Claim one and it's yours until you step down.
⏳ One-off slots - single collections that pop up when a charity can't make their usual evening slot. They're advertised on the Volunteer Hub for any Food Waste Hero to claim. Grab it if you can, every collection counts 💪
💬 Feedback and communication
If you have any questions or experience a problem with your collection, please fill out an Issue Report Form, located under 'My Collections' on the Volunteer Hub.
Please also share any feedback on the squad chat! Positive interactions with store staff, stories from requesters, and photos from collections are all brilliant to see, and we know Lidl and Neighbourly will love to hear them too 🤗