Household Waste - Domestic Bins

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Last revised: 18 November 2008

Kennet's black wheeled domestic waste bin

In Kennet, each household produces around 1 tonne of rubbish each year, and whilst the volume we are throwing out increases, the space left to bury our waste is rapidly decreasing. Please try and reduce your waste wherever possible and recycle as much as you can.

The Council operates an Alternate Weekly Collection service to all residents involving a fortnightly collection of household refuse from a black wheeled bin. On the alternate week, recycling collections are made from black boxes.

Every household has been provided with a black wheeled bin for their non recyclable waste.  If the Council has deemed a property as being unsuitable for a wheeled bin, an alternative will be issued in the form of orange refuse sacks.

Where do I leave my wheeled bin on collection day?
Black wheeled bins or orange sacks must be left at the kerbside of an adopted road by 07:00hrs on the day of collection clearly visible for the refuse lorry.

When is my collection day?
Your refuse and recycling are collected on the same day but on alternate weeks.  For your collection day, please follow this link.

What if I physically can't move my bin?
Residents who are struggling with their wheeled bin due to age or infirmity should contact the Council or follow this link for more details on assisted collections.

What if my bin lid is up?
Kennet District Council operates a strict lids down policy, therefore only bins presented with their lids firmly closed will be collected. However, provided residents recycle and minimise their waste, the bin will be sufficient for the majority of householders.

The Council has found that operating a wheeled bin collection service with a lid shut, no side waste rule has encouraged recycling and waste minimisation when compared to a lid open rule and the district is now recycling over 40% of its waste every month.

What if I have extra waste?
The Council will only collect waste that is contained within the wheeled bin with the lid firmly closed.  No excess side waste will be taken.  Residents can take any additional waste to the Household Recycling Centre in either Devizes or Everleigh for free disposal.  If the wheeled bin does not comply with policy, it will not be emptied and it is the resident's responsibility to dispose of their waste.

Residents that have orange sacks instead of a wheeled bin can place a maximum of 3 orange sacks out for collection each fortnight.  Additional bags will not be collected.

Residents that are continually struggling with their waste can apply for an additional bin, following the Council approved additional wheeled bin procedure.

How can I apply for a second wheeled bin?
Every property has been allocated one black wheeled bin for their refuse.  If you are continually filling your bin before collection day and doing everything you can to recycle, the Council can offer a home waste audit.  This is where an officer will visit you on refuse collection day and physically go through your waste giving you advice on waste minimisation and recycling.  

Please note that all requests for waste audits are prioritised and no appointments are given.  Residents must give permission for the waste audit to be undertaken and provide information as to why additional capacity is required.

If you have children in nappies, you may also be interested in trying re-usable nappies rather than disposables.

What about my black bag delivery?
Residents will no longer be issued with black refuse sacks, however it is recommended that waste is contained before being placed into the wheeled bin.

Won't my bin smell if it's outside for two weeks?
In other Council's experiences your bin won't smell much worse provided basic housekeeping rules are kept. Please follow this link for more advice about keeping your bin clean.

What about bulky goods?
The Council will collect bulky or heavy domestic household items such as beds and freezers from outside your home with its Special Collection service.

Please note that we can not enter your property to pick up items. The items for collection will need to be placed in a position both easily accessible and visible from the road at the front of the property (e.g front garden or drive). by 07:00hrs on the day of the collection

Where any volume of loose material needs to be moved, the householder will be advised to hire one of the Council's skips.