Garden bins

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 can I put in my 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 the annual fee does not guarantee a fixed number of collections and the service maybe 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 the first of the following month, giving a maximum of 13 months service in the first year, so allowing for any initial bin delivery delays.

From then on, the account becomes payable on the 1st of that month annually. The fee is reviewed every year and set by Members within the fees and charges process, the annual fee at the date of renewal will be stated within the email, text, or invoice.

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, in exceptional circumstances.

Following reminder, if the account remains unpaid the nominated address/email account will be notified, and the bin(s) 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.