Published: Thursday, 1st October 2026
Sevenoaks District Council will introduce wheelie bins and alternate weekly waste and recycling collections from Monday 12 October 2026,
Sevenoaks District Council will introduce wheelie bins and alternate weekly waste and recycling collections from Monday 12 October 2026.
Most households moving to the new wheelie bin collection service will have received their bins by now, although deliveries will continue for a small number of households until Sunday 11 October.
From 12 October, waste and recycling will need to be presented in the correct wheelie bin. From this date the Council will no longer collect recycling from green reusable recycling sacks.
Households moving to the wheelie bin collection service will receive two bins:
- A 240-litre wheelie bin with a green lid for all dry recycling, including glass bottles and jars
- A 180-litre black wheelie bin for general waste
General waste and recycling will be collected on alternate weeks. Residents should have received a postcard informing them when their first recycling and general waste collection will take place. If they have not received, or have mislaid their postcard, they can check their collection day at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/collectiondays.
Food waste will continue to be collected weekly in the orange and black food waste bin by a dedicated food waste collection vehicle.
Cllr Irene Roy, the Council's Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says: "We about to reach another important milestone in our BIG Recycling Upgrade project with the introduction of wheelie bin collections.
"Experience elsewhere shows that the District's recycling rate will increase. This is good news for the environment and for taxpayers, as higher recycling levels reduce waste disposal costs.
"We have made the system simpler by collecting all dry recycling in one bin, including glass bottles and jars for the first time, saving residents unnecessary trips to the bottle bank.
"As we introduce the biggest service changes in a generation, affecting 45,000 households, there are likely to be some teething problems as residents and our crews adjust to a new collection system. While we aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, I would urge our residents to be patient, and thank them for their understanding while we deliver these significant improvements to the service."
For more information about the wheelie bin collection service, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/wheeliebins.
As part of the changes, the Council is aligning general waste and garden waste collection weeks from 12 October. This means garden waste will be collected on the same day as general waste. Some garden waste customers will have a new collection week.
Garden waste sacks collections will also be suspended for one week, from 12 to 16 October 2026. This temporary pause will help the Council safely implement the significant changes to its waste services.
Notes to editors
Green reusable recycling bags will no longer be used after wheelie bin collections begin on 12 October.
However, since their introduction, new regulations have required the Council to provide a simpler collection system with reduced manual handling for staff.
Residents can choose to keep and reuse the bags. Alternatively, the Council will collect unwanted bags for recycling through a dedicated temporary collection service in early 2027. Further details will be made available nearer the time.
A small number of properties, such as flats above shops or homes without suitable storage or access, will not receive wheelie bins. These households will continue to present their waste and recycling in disposable sacks.
Nothing will change for residents living in blocks of flats that use communal waste and recycling bins.
- More articles in the news archive
- Sevenoaks District Council news RSS feed