Recycling rates reach record high across the District

Published: Thursday, 28th May 2026

Sevenoaks District Council’s rollout of new recycling measures, including the introduction of new weekly food waste collections & reusable recycling bags, has helped residents recycle more & cut waste

In the first month since the introduction of the food waste service, the Council’s crews have collected a massive 220 tonnes of food waste, putting the Sevenoaks District close to the top 25% of Kent councils for food waste recycling.

This extra 220 tonnes of recycling alone will produce up to 80,000 kWh of energy - that’s enough to power 30 average sized family homes for a year.

Since launching the service, the crews have reported a noticeable reduction in black sacks being split open by animals at properties now using the separate food waste service, helping to keep our District even cleaner.

Recycling has also been boosted by the reusable green recycling sacks that were introduced in 2024. Residents have increased their recycling of cardboard, paper, plastics and other household items by a further 3.5%.

By October 2026, the reusable sacks will have saved the Council £225,000 when they will be phased out, and wheelie bins are introduced. Once they are no longer needed, residents can either keep them for their own use or the Council will collect them during the first four weeks of the new service, so they can be recycled.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, Cllr Irene Roy, says: “We’re about to start the next phase of ‘The Big Recycling Upgrade’ so it’s a good opportunity to look at what we have achieved so far.

“We’re really pleased that residents are recycling more and we’d like to thank everyone who has got on board with food waste recycling over the last month. Residents are already recycling around 58 tonnes of food waste every week, contributing an extra 6% to our overall recycling rate. This is a fantastic achievement in such a short amount of time.

“October will see the start of alternate weekly collections with new wheelie bins to put out for collection, which we anticipate will increase the amount we recycle even further.”

For more information visit, www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/recycling