Published: Thursday, 19th March 2026
Sevenoaks District Council will begin delivering food waste caddies to around 50,000 households from Monday 30 March 2026, ahead of the launch of its new weekly food waste collection service.
From Monday 27 April 2026, most residents will be able to recycle their food waste at the kerbside every week. on the same day as their normal waste collections.
Before the start of the new service, households will receive two food waste caddies - a small grey caddy for indoors and a larger black and orange caddy for outdoors. They will also receive a roll of caddy liners to get them started and a leaflet explaining how to use the service.
The new service will help residents to reduce the amount of waste placed in their black sacks, benefiting the environment and saving taxpayers’ money.
Once collected, the food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it will be turned into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser.Processing food waste separately will save Kent County Council over half a million pounds a year in waste disposal costs.
Cllr Irene Roy, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says:
“We are very excited to be offering new weekly food waste collections for most residents.
Food waste makes up around a third of household waste and is one of the heaviest things we throw away. When it ends up in black sacks, the weight pushes up disposal costs, and it is sent for incineration. Incineration destroys valuable nutrients, produces avoidable emissions, and offers poor value for taxpayers.
By collecting food waste separately, it can be recycled instead, protecting the environment and saving over half a million pounds a year to help safeguard funding for local services.”
“We know this will be an adjustment, but many households across the UK already support their local food waste collection service. Residents may also find they save money by seeing how much food they routinely throw away.”
Residents are asked to put their black and orange outdoor food caddy at the kerbside by 7am on their usual general waste and recycling collection day from 27 April. Caddies should not be put out before the service starts.
To help residents prepare for the new food waste service, the Council will host three information roadshows in April. Staff will be on hand to answer questions, demonstrate how to use the caddies and explain what can be recycled.
The roadshows will take place at:
- Edenbridge - outside Waitrose - Saturday 11 April, 10am to 2pm
- Swanley Market - Wednesday 15 April, 10am to 2pm
- Sevenoaks – under the clocktower in Bligh’s - Saturday 18 April, 10am to 2pm
For more information about food waste collections, visit www.seveoaks.gov.uk/foodwaste.
Weekly food waste collections are now required by the Government from April 2026 under its Simpler Recycling reforms.
Sevenoaks has approximately 53,000 households and over 49,000 will receive the new food waste collection service at launch.
The remaining are hard to service communal blocks and estates who will receive thee service later in the year.
The launch of services is supported by the Council’s ‘Big Recycling Upgrade Campaign’.
From autumn 2026, Sevenoaks District will move from weekly collections using sacks to alternate weekly collections of recycling and waste from wheelie bins. Food waste will continue to be collected weekly.
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