From Monday 27 April 2026, we will begin separate weekly food waste collections for most households.
We’ll collect food waste on the same day we collect your general waste and recycling from a new food waste caddy that will be delivered before the new service begins.
Recycling food waste saves energy, as well as money, so the more food everyone recycles, the better it is for the environment and Council Taxpayers.
Residents who already use communal waste bins and those who live in certain housing blocks or estates will not receive food waste caddies. Instead, they will get new communal food waste facilities at a later date.
Your food waste caddies
We’ll provide you with a small indoor food waste caddy, and a larger caddy for outdoors between 30 March and 24 April 2026.
In your outdoor caddy you’ll find a roll of compostable caddy liners, to get you started, and a leaflet explaining how to use the new service.
Your small indoor caddy
Most people keep this container in the kitchen so it's easy to scrape plate leftovers straight into your caddy.
You can choose to line this caddy with a compostable liner (available from most supermarkets) or with newspaper. Never use plastic bags in this caddy.
The indoor caddy holds up to 5 litres of food waste. Its dimensions are 212mm high by 250mm wide by 190mm deep. In inches that's 8.3" high by 9.8" wide by 7.5" deep.
Your outdoor caddy
Every few days, or when it’s full, you can empty the contents of your indoor caddy into your outdoor caddy and lock the lid by putting the handle in the down position.
Put this caddy next to your general waste and recycling by 7am on your usual collection day.
The outdoor caddy holds up to 23 litres of food waste, and its dimensions are 390mm high by 290mm wide by 340mm deep. In inches that's 15.3" high by 11.4" wide by 13.4" deep.
What goes in your caddy
You can put all cooked and raw food in your caddy, including:
- Leftovers
- Out of date & mouldy food
- Meat & fish bones
- Tea bags & coffee grounds
- Egg, nut & seafood shells
- Fruit & vegetable peelings
- Pet food
Plastic bags and food packaging shouldn't go in your caddy.
Turning your food waste into energy
About 30% of our household waste, by weight, is made up of cooked and raw food. All food waste we collect will be taken to an ‘anaerobic digestion’ plant where bacteria break down the food to produce natural biogas.
The gas is captured and used for cooking, electricity production and other purposes and even powers the anaerobic digestion plant. This is a renewable form of energy, which is better for the environment than using fossil fuel.
The process also creates quality fertiliser, making anaerobic digestion one of the most sustainable waste treatments available.
Watch a video about anaerobic digestion
Food waste collections will save taxpayers' money
Recycling food waste costs a fraction of the price of disposing of it in your general waste.
Kent County Council saves approximately £130 for every tonne of food waste that goes to the anaerobic digestion plant compared to incineration.
We expect to collect at least 5,000 tonnes of food waste every year, saving Kent County Council around £650,0000 per annum.
Food waste collections will improve our recycling rates
To protect the environment, improve the economy, incentivise waste reduction, reduce landfill and improve the re-use and recycling of materials, the Government has set ever increasing recycling rate targets on local councils for decades. The current recycling rate target for councils is 55%, rising to 65% by 2035. Many councils already exceed these targets but with a current rate of only about 38%, Sevenoaks District has some way to go.
Offering food waste collections will align us with the majority of other councils in the UK and will help increase our recycling rates, helping us to move towards the Government target.