Garden bins
Our garden waste service is available to residents of the borough for their garden waste. This waste goes in your brown bin. When you subscribe, we will collect your bin every two weeks on your usual collection day.
Garden bin subscriptions
You can hire a 240-litre brown garden bin for £51. The cost may be charged over 12 months or prorated. A £10 admin fee applies for all new bin subscriptions. Collections are suspended over the two-week Christmas period to support other waste services.
Permits run from 1 July to 30 June every year.
If you subscribe after 1 July, you will be charged an amended amount. For example, your renewal is due in September, we will charge you to 1 July.
What happens next
Once we have received your order, we aim to deliver your bin within 10 working days. The collection crews will know how many subscriptions you have and take the correct number of bins. You need to present your bins by 6am at the boundary of your property.
Permit stickers
We are currently in the process of sending out permits to some residents, these help the crews to know who has a subscription. They are stickers that you need to place on your bin.
Currently, renewal dates vary from house to house so not every bin will have a sticker. They will be posted after you have renewed your subscription.
When you receive your sticker check that the permit shows your correct address, if it is wrong please contact us. If you subscribe to more than one bin, you will be sent a permit for each.
Where to put your permit
- attach the sticker to the back of your garden waste bin, below the handles
- ensure it is the correct way up and can be easily read by the collectors
- do not put the sticker on the lid, front or side of the bin. If it is in this area it is more likely to get damaged during collection
- place your bin with the sticker visible at the edge of your property by 6am on your collection day
Replace your permit
If your permit is lost or damaged, you can request a replacement.
Missed bins
You can tell us if your garden bin has been missed, and we will look into it for you.
Bin replacements
You can use our form to request a new bin if yours has broken or is damaged.
Renewals and cancellations
You will need to pay each year to renew your subscription. You may be charged differently during the change to yearly permits. If your renewal is due after July 2025, you will be charged an amended amount. For example, your renewal is due in September, we will charge you to 1 July 2026.
You will be reminded when your subscription is due to be renewed.
Cancel your subscription
If you no longer want to subscribe to the service, you can cancel your garden waste subscription at any time.
Additional bins
Current subscribers may request an additional bin at a cost which is a pro rata amount up to your next renewal of your current subscription. From the next renewal, the full renewal amount will be applied.
For example, your existing bin renews on 1 January and you apply for an additional bin on 15 June. We will charge for six months for your new bin which covers July - December. When your renewal is due in January we will charge you for the two bins as normal.
If you are trying to add an additional bin two months before your subscription you will not be able to do this until you renew.
Removals
If there is a garden bin which does not have a subscription you can request for us to remove it.
Moving home
If you are moving to a new home in Maidstone, you will need to tell us so we can continue to collect your garden waste. You should take your bin with you when you move.
If you are moving out of Maidstone, you should use the cancel subscription option above.
Terms and conditions
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 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 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.