Abstract: A food waste collector system includes a tank and a pump that recirculates water by pumping it from the tank and back into the tank, and a bacteria treatment method and system that treats the recirculating water to reduce bacteria. In an aspect, the bacteria treatment includes irradiation of recirculating water by ultraviolet light to sterilize bacteria. In an aspect, the bacteria treatment includes killing bacteria in the recirculating water with oxidizers. In an aspect, the bacteria treatment includes killing bacteria in the recirculating water with ozone. In an aspect, the food waste collector system includes an ultraviolet (UV) tube holder in which one or more UV tubes are disposed and through which the recirculating water is pumped. In an aspect, the UV tube holder has an inner wall surface with a catalytic surface coating that in conjunction with the UV light provides an oxidation process that generates the oxidizers.