07 September 2008Sevenoaks District Council collects black refuse sacks and clear recycling sacks once a week from your property boundary, or in some cases from other previously agreed locations.
But where do I get refuse sacks, and how often?
Refuse and recycling sacks should be put out by 7am on the day of collection, or the night before if it is possible to do so without pests tearing your black sacks. Please note that pests do not tend to bother with the clear recycling sacks, as they do not contain perishable materials.
There are exceptions to this rule following bank holidays and annual events, so please click on the following links to find out when your refuse collection day is or details of bank holiday refuse collection times.
Please note that if you live in a block of flats which shares communal bins for black and clear sacks, then your collection day is Thursday irrespective of where in the District you live.
Things that you cannot put out for kerbside collection:
The following items will not be collected, and should therefore not be put in to the black sacks. Please call our Contact Centre for information on how to responsibly dispose of the following items or questionable items not listed below:
Rolls of 25 clear recycling sacks and 20 black refuse sacks are delivered to every home in the District every 20 weeks by a special sack-delivery crew. Additional clear and black sacks are available for free at the Council's offices. In addition, rolls of 25 clear sacks can be purchased for 50p (less than 1/2 of actual cost) at some Parish and Town Council offices, some post offices, and some shops in the District.
You can now download a list of the places where you can get extra sacks (
PDF 88K file details). This is the most reliable way to recycle if your household regularly uses more than one clear sack a week. Most black sacks that can be purchased in shops and supermarkets can be used for non-recyclable materials.
Please note however that we will only take recyclable materials in Sevenoaks DC clear sacks.
Frequently Asked Questions:
'My refuse and recycling were put out on time; Why has it been left behind?'
'What do I still put in my black sacks?'
'What can I put in my clear recycling sacks?'
'Can I Recycle Shredded Sensitive Documents (shredded paper)?'
'What can I put in my garden waste sacks or bin?'
'How do I dispose of my electrical appliances, fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs?'
'What if I cannot bring my refuse to the border of my property, due to illness or a related limitation?'
Click this link: Help is available to people who cannot take their refuse to the border of their property.
Very occasionally, some properties are missed out on the scheduled refuse and recycling collection due to bad weather, roads blocked by resident's vehicles, police activity or similar access problems.
If the Council has missed your property due to such problems, we will usually try to collect during the next working day so please leave your material at kerbside.
If you leave your sacks in a wheeled bin at your boundary and not all the sacks have been taken, this may be because the crew could not easily remove the sacks from the bottom of the bin. Our staff have been instructed, for Health & Safety reasons, not to remove sacks from the bottom of a bin if they consider it too difficult to remove, say for instance because it is jammed into the bin, or if they believe they could be at risk from injury or back strain if they forcibly remove the sack. Ideally you should remove your sacks from the bin on the morning of collection. If this is not practical, sacks should not be jammed or forced in to the bin making them difficult to remove. Please ease the sacks from the bottom of the bin before the next scheduled collection day.
Please note that your clear recycling sacks are not likely to be of interest to animals, and can usually be placed at your property boundary without being in a bin.
If your refuse was put out after our collection crews have already been to your road, please take the sack(s) or bin back in and put them out in time for the next scheduled collection.
'My refuse and recycling were put out on time; Why has it been left behind?'
If your black refuse, clear recycling, or garden waste sack(s) or bin has been intentionally left behind by our crews, it will be because one or more of the receptacles contain inappropriate materials.
We do not consider such cases a missed collection, and they are likely due to one or more of the following reasons:
Refuse Sacks: Sharp objects, broken glass or other hazardous materials may have been protruding from the sack - Please go to 'What do I still put in my black sacks?' and kindly correct the problem.
Clear Recycling Sacks: Your clear sack(s) contain non-recyclable or inappropriate rubbish - Please go to 'What can I put in my clear recycling sacks?' and kindly correct the problem.
Garden Waste: Your garden waste is not in a Council pre-paid garden waste sack or a Council garden waste wheelie bin with a valid permit affixed, or the sack(s) or bin contained inappropriate materials. Please go to 'What can I put in my garden waste sacks or bin?' and kindly correct the problem.
In the case of all of the examples above, the Sevenoaks DC crews responsible for your collections will have placed a sticker on your receptacle to explain why your refuse and/or recycling was not taken.
This is not a missed collection, so please correct the related problem and place your sacks or bin out during the next scheduled collection day.
If you put your refuse our by 7am on your collection day and it was not taken, you can inform the Council by calling 01732 227000, or by using our online General Information Request Form and we will respond to your concern or complaint promptly.
Can I Recycle Shredded Sensitive Documents?
Yes. Residents concerned about identity-theft can still recycle their sensitive documents. Shredded paper should be screwed up into a clump or ball, as it can then be recovered more easily. Put shredded paper directly into your clear sack, not in a separate bag within the clear sack.
How do I dispose of my electrical appliances, fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs?
Cooling appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers and other large household appliances can be brought to your nearest Kent County Council Household Waste Recycling Centre.
If your are unable to transport such items, Sevenoaks District Council can collect them from your property boundary for a small fee. Call 01732 227000 to book a collection.
Display Equipment (television sets, computer monitors, etc.) and all other Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, such as small appliances, IT and telecom equipment and Consumer electronics can be brought to your nearest Kent County Council Household Waste Recycling Centre. Sevenoaks District Council cannot collect these items from you, nor can you place them out for kerbside collection.
Gas discharge lamps, such as straight fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and high intensity discharge lamps but not normal household light bulbs (filament lamps), can be brought to your nearest Kent County Council Household Waste Recycling Centre. Sevenoaks District Council cannot collect gas discharge lamps from you, nor can you place them out for kerbside collection.
