Sevenoaks District Council considers changes to recycling and waste collections

Sevenoaks District Councillors are considering proposals to modernise and improve local recycling and waste collections.

The Council is working to increase the range of recycling options while making the service more cost and carbon efficient.

This follows from 'The BIG waste conversation', the Council's most extensive survey of residents' waste collection preferences. The surveys took place in late 2024 and into this year, and over 4,000 people took part.

Residents said the Council should reduce the environmental impact of its waste collection services and provide more recycling options. They supported the introduction of wheelie bins and new glass and food waste collections and the collection of other small items.

In light of the survey results, the Council is now considering the introduction of alternate weekly waste and weekly food waste collections from 1 April 2026. This would improve recycling rates and enable kerbside glass collections. Alternate weekly collections would also free up resources for more recycling options.

The Council is considering providing residents with free wheelie bins for their waste and recycling from summer 2026. New glass recycling collections could begin at the same time.

The Council could also introduce additional home recycling collections such as textiles and small electrical items.

These proposed changes would harmonise the waste services with nearby councils that are likely to merge with Sevenoaks District Council from April 2028 enabling any newly formed unitary council to maximise cost and service efficiencies.

Cllr Irene Roy, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, says:

"Our residents have told us to modernise our waste collection services. The majority want more recycling options and want us to reduce the environmental impact of the service.

"Our proposals will allow us to do all of these things. While we acknowledge residents' views were split on the introduction of alternate weekly waste collections, this change would make the service much more cost-effective so we can invest in new recycling services.

"If councillors support the proposals, we will introduce a raft of new recycling services. This will be much more convenient for our residents who currently take glass, textiles and some other items to recycling centres.

"Recycling is not only good for the environment, it’s the most cost-effective way of dealing with waste.

"But our current recycling rate is only 37%. This is much lower than many areas and a long way from the Government’s national recycling target of 65% by 2035. The Council and our residents acknowledge we have to offer a greater range of convenient recycling services."

Notes to editors

The recycling and waste collection proposals will be considered by the Council’s Cleaner & Greener Advisory Committee on 5 June 2025, Cabinet on 12 June 2025 and Council on 22 July 2025.

The BIG Waste Conversation survey results can be viewed in full at www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/bigwaste.

Issued by: Daniel Whitmarsh, Communication and Consultation Manager
Call: 01732 227414
e-mail: [email protected]