Broken promises, missed deadlines and £250,000 bags headed for the bin?

1 Apr 2026

Sevenoaks District Council’s waste disposal collections are changing this year - and the shift is long overdue. The new system will be greener and more efficient — but the new system is mired in controversy before it even begins.

A broken promise

At the 2023 local elections, the Conservatives pledged to keep weekly bin collections. They are now doing the opposite. They knew change was coming — it was already written into national legislation passed by their own party — but chose to promise otherwise to win votes.

Missing the legal deadline

Councils were legally required to begin food waste collections by 31 March 2026. Sevenoaks won’t start until 27 April — 27 days late — making it one of the only councils in Kent to miss the deadline. Glass collections won’t follow until autumn 2026, five or more months behind schedule. The Council should have known and planned for the legal deadlines when the Conservative Government proposed the legislation.

What a Big Waste

Between September and December 2024, the council handed out 49,000 reusable green recycling bags at a cost of £250,000. Every single one will be made redundant when new wheelie bins arrive — and there is currently no plan for what residents should do with them.

A one-size-fits-all rollout

From summer 2026, most households will receive two wheelie bins under a £9 million programme, part-funded by a £4.7 million government grant. But every household gets the same 240 and 180-litre bins regardless of family or property size and no provision has been made for disposing of the bins being replaced.

Sevenoaks currently recycles just 37–38% of waste — among the worst rates in Kent, and barely half the government’s 65% target for 2035.

What we’re calling for

Sevenoaks Liberal Democrats are demanding the Conservative administration:

Publish a clear plan to reuse or recycle the green bags and redundant bins — not send them to landfill
Release the DEFRA risk assessment for missing the Simpler Recycling deadlines
Offer a choice of bin sizes to suit different households
Ensure proper support for properties where wheelie bins aren’t suitable

Residents were told in 2023: we will keep your weekly collections. Now the Conservatives are doing the exact opposite — and have spent £250,000 of your money on bags that will be obsolete in months. You can’t champion recycling while sending 49,000 plastic bags to the tip
Cllr Alan Leaman, Leader, Lib Dem Group, Sevenoaks District Council