‘Wheelie’ big news about waste collections!

News Release

09 July 2026

‘Wheelie’ big news about waste collections!

Sevenoaks District Council is set to begin wheelie bin deliveries to residents' homes as part of its ‘BIG Recycling Upgrade’ to improve recycling rates and make waste collections simpler and more convenient.

New wheelie bin collections will begin from 12 October 2026. From this date, the Council will also introduce alternate weekly collections, collecting general waste one week and recycling the next.

In advance of the new service beginning, most households will receive two wheelie bins from mid-July until early October 2026:

• A 240-litre wheelie bin with a green lid for recycling
• A 180-litre black wheelie bin for general waste

As part of the changes, the Council will also collect glass from residents’ homes for the first time in the new recycling bin.

Food waste will continue to be collected separately every week in the orange and black food waste bin.

The Council is writing to households before their bins are delivered to explain how the new service will work, what should go in the bins and how to present their waste and recycling.

Residents should not use their bins until the new service begins from 12 October 2026.

A small number of properties, such as flats above shops or homes without suitable storage or access, will not receive the bins. These households will continue to present their waste in disposable sacks. The Council will write to these households separately.

Blocks of flats who have communal collections will be required to present the waste and recycling in larger wheeled bins, if not doing so already.

Cllr Irene Roy, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener says: “We have reached another important milestone in our ‘BIG Recycling Upgrade’ project.

“Once the new service is running from 12 October, we are confident the district’s recycling rates will increase. This will be good for the environment and good for taxpayers as higher recycling levels reduce waste disposal costs.

“As part of the changes, we will also collect glass from residents’ homes for the first time and save people unnecessary trips to the bottle bank.

“We have worked to make the new collection service as simple as possible. All dry recycling materials, including glass, can go in the new recycling bin.

“With 100,000 bins to deliver before the new service begins, deliveries will take several months. This means some households will need to store their bins before they can begin using them.

“Alongside the bins, we will introduce some new rules from 12 October to ensure the collection service operates smoothly. The key rule is we will not collect waste unless it’s in a wheelie bin. The only exception is cardboard placed neatly next to a recycling bin if it’s full.

“I want to thank all our residents for their patience and understanding while we make these significant improvements to their service.”

Green reusable recycling bags will no longer be used after the new alternate weekly bin service starts from 12 October.

Residents can choose to keep and reuse the bag. Alternatively, the Council will collect unwanted bags for recycling, through a dedicated temporary collection service, from early 2027. Further details will be made available nearer the time.

Cllr Irene Roy adds: “During their time in service, the green reusable recycling bags have saved taxpayers £225,000 and prevented around 4 million single use clear plastic sacks. Recycling rates also increased by 3.5%.

“But, since their introduction, new regulations require us to provide a simpler system with reduced manual handling for our staff. They have served their purpose well over several years, but it will soon be time to take them out of service.”

For more information about the new wheeled bin collection service, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/wheeliebins.

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