The garden waste collection service is provided to residential households to a maximum of three 240-litre bins per property. Programmed for collection on a two-weekly cycle, with our contractor designing the detailed scheduling (day and week).

The account must be allocated to a Maidstone Borough Council registered residential property and the bin used at that address. Neighbours may make private arrangements to share the use of a bin if they so wish.

The garden waste collected is composted locally and it’s very important that we only collect materials, as listed on our 'What goes in your bin' page.

Bins presented with incorrect materials will not be emptied, as the contamination could reduce the quality of compost produced by the facility. In that event, the resident is required to remove the contamination from the bin. The bin will then be emptied on the next scheduled collection.

Unless the resident is registered for an assisted collection, the bin must be presented in accordance with standard presentation policy, clearly visible and available for service at the front of property.

Where the bin is presented incorrectly or with incorrect materials in it, it may not be emptied, and our contractor will not return for a missed collection.

Please note that the annual fee does not guarantee a fixed number of collections. The service may also be suspended in exceptional services. It is always suspended for a minimum of two weeks over Christmas and the New Year, allowing those resources to be used in support of the general waste collection service.

On commencement, all new accounts are given an annual renewal date of 1 July. Services are scheduled to start from the first day of the following month.

Services are scheduled to start from the first of the following month.

New accounts set up in the period from July to March will be charged part-year pro rata to 30 June. Example: an account set up in September. In the first period, you will be charged for nine months and then receive a standard 12-month renewal.

New accounts set up in April, May and June will be charged up to 30 June the following year. Example: account set up in April. In the first period you will be charged for 14 months and then receive a standard 12-month renewal.

On renewal, all accounts become payable by the 1 of July.

The fee is reviewed every year and set by Members within the fees and charges process; the fee will be stated within the email, text, or invoice.

The invoices are sent out in batches from mid-May to mid-June.

This system allows us to receive payment and issue permits to residents who have paid for the service; our aim is to send out the permits within three weeks of receipt of payment.

Every account is per bin, not per property; every bin must have a valid permit.

The payment system is principally a card payment on our website, with notification of account due made by email or text. However, the paper system and over-the-phone payment methods remain available in exceptional circumstances.

Following a reminder, if the account remains unpaid, the nominated address/email account will be notified, and the bin(s) will be removed from the contractor’s collection schedule. Our contractor will then be instructed to remove the bin(s) from the property as soon as practicable.