Our waste and recycling collection rules | Sevenoaks District Council

Our waste and recycling collection rules

Collection days

  • Put your bags or bins and caddies out by 7am on your collection day
  • Don’t put them out before 6pm the night before
  • Bring you bins back in as soon as possible after they’ve been emptied.
     

Where to put them

  • Place sacks, bins and caddies in a visible location at the edge of the property nearest the public highway, where the collection vehicle normally stops
  • Our crews will not normally enter driveways, gardens, alleys, or private roads beyond a few meters of the boundary unless the household has been approved for the assisted collection service
  • If you live in a flat, use your shared bin store or agreed collection point – not corridors or doorsteps.
     

What we collect

Service

Container

How often

General waste

Up to October 2026

Black sacks Every week

Recycling

Up to October 2026

Reusable recycling bags or clear sacks Every week

General waste (rubbish)

From October 2026

Black wheelie bin

Every two weeks

Recycling

From October 2026

Black wheelie bin with a green lid

Every two weeks (on the opposite week to general waste)

Food waste

From 27 April 2026

Black caddy, orange lid

Every week

Garden waste

Optional subscription service

Green wheelie bin with a blue lid

Fortnightly (subscription)

What we can’t take

We can’t empty bins and caddies that are:

  • Contaminated with the wrong materials
  • Overflowing or too heavy
  • Left with loose bags or side waste beside them
  • Out late or in the wrong place
  • Blocked by cars, locked gates or other obstacles.

If your bin or caddy wasn’t emptied, please check these points before reporting a missed collection.
 

Assisted collections

If you can’t move your bins or caddies because of illness, disability or mobility problems, we can help. We’ll collect and return your bins from an agreed spot within your property boundary.

Apply for an assisted collection
 

Replacement or new bins

  • Damaged bins caused by the crew will be repaired or replaced
  • Delivery of new or replacement bins normally takes up to 10 working days.
     

Large or small bin requests

You can ask for a different size bin if you have:

  • Five or more people in your household
  • Medical needs that create extra waste
  • Very limited storage space.

We may ask for some evidence, or visit you, before agreeing to your request.


Large item collections

If you need to get rid of large household items, like furniture or appliances, you can use our large item collection service.

Please note, we can’t take TVs, builders’ waste, rubble, or hazardous materials.
 

Garden waste (optional subscription service)

  • Only garden waste goes in this bin – no soil, stones, plastic bags or fallen fruit
  • Keep the lid closed and put it out by 7am on your collection day.

Subscribe for garden waste collections
 

Flat blocks and other communal areas

  • Use the shared bins provided – no loose bags or waste on the ground
  • Keep bin stores tidy and accessible. Our crews can’t unlock gates or climb steps
  • Bulky items left in communal areas are the landlord’s or managing agent’s responsibility.
     

Missed collections

If your bin or caddy was out correctly but not emptied, report it by the end of the next working day. We’ll check our crew records and, if it was genuinely missed, we'll return within two working days.

Report a missed collection
 

Respect for our crews

Our crews work hard in all weather to keep collections running safely and reliably. Please treat them with courtesy and respect at all times. Abuse, aggression, intimidation, or obstruction will not be tolerated and may be reported to the Police. Our collection vehicles operate 360-degree CCTV for the prevention and detection of crime and to protect the health and safety of our staff and the public.
 

Our Collection Service Standards

View our Collection Service Standards in full.