{"id":39355,"date":"2026-05-18T02:13:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/39355\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T02:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:13:48","slug":"anger-over-hike-in-garden-waste-fees-in-kent-as-all-but-two-councils-charge-more-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/39355\/","title":{"rendered":"Anger over hike in garden waste fees in Kent as all but two councils charge more this year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Frustrated residents say they are planning to \u201cstick with the tip\u201d after all but two Kent councils hiked the price of their garden waste service.<\/p>\n

Eleven authorities have increased the cost of the optional \u2018brown bin\u2019 service for the new financial year, which sees people pay a rolling annual subscription for a fortnightly collection.<\/p>\n

\"The\"TheThe garden waste bin collection rates in Kent for 2026 to 2027<\/p>\n

Medway Council is still offering the collection free of charge on a weekly basis, while Swale Borough Council (SBC) has maintained its \u00a362 figure – although is now charging a new \u00a310 fee for new users.<\/p>\n

However, the charges have risen by an average of \u00a33.15 across the 11 other areas, with Thanet remaining the most expensive at \u00a373, followed by Tunbridge and Wells at \u00a370.<\/p>\n

Those living in Canterbury have seen the biggest jump from \u00a358.92 to \u00a365.<\/p>\n

Thanet resident Damarall Werrey-Easterbrook, 46, from St Peter\u2019s, Broadstairs, says she previously used the service but thinks it is now too costly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stopped it a couple of years ago because of the price and have thought about buying it again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Damarall\"DamarallDamarall Werrey-Easterbrook, from St Peter\u2019s, Broadstairs, says she will continue to use the tip\"The\"TheThe cost of garden waste collections are increasing in Kent<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now it\u2019s \u00a373 every year and that\u2019s a lot of money, so we\u2019re just going to stick with the tip which is free.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go three or four times a month and most of that is garden waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only about 10 minutes away, so I don\u2019t think we\u2019re losing any money on fuel by not buying one again when it\u2019s costing us almost \u00a3120.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanet is one of seven councils – along with Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Maidstone, Swale – that also charges people for both the collection service and the bin itself.<\/p>\n

Those in the Dartford borough are charged the most for a bin at \u00a356, which, along with its \u00a353 subscription cost, means a new user will have to pay \u00a3109 for the service.<\/p>\n

\"Suez\"SuezSuez workers collecting garden waste in Ashford<\/p>\n

Every authority provides 240-litre bins, except for Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) which offers 180 litres.<\/p>\n

Whitstable\u2019s Imogen Tinkler, 43, saw her bin stolen last year and says she has no intention of subscribing now.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cCharging more for brown bins just creates a two\u2011tier system; some people will pay because they can, but others will put garden waste in their normal rubbish and cover it with other stuff, or be tempted to fly\u2011tip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t be paying for the brown bin. My last one went missing and I already compost at home, then take the rest to the tip when I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked why it has hiked its fees, a CCC spokesman said it \u201crecognises the price has risen this year\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Whitstable\"WhitstableWhitstable resident Imogen Tinkler is not planning to use the service again<\/p>\n

“Our garden waste subscription service offers excellent value for money, at a cost of just \u00a32.70 per collection for those people who signed up at the very start of the subscription year,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

“People love the convenience of having their garden waste taken by our crews, negating the need to organise those regular trips to the tip. And this year we have added in an extra collection to the schedule as well.<\/p>\n

“Our residents obviously agree with us on these points, given that the number of subscribers has increased by 728 across the first eight weeks of the sign-up period this year compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n

“Ultimately it is for local people to decide whether it’s a service they want to take advantage of.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith almost 22,000 subscribers this year so far, it would seem many, many do.”<\/p>\n

Romney Marsh resident Amanda Farrant, 59, who lives on the edge of Newchurch, says she believes composting is the way forward.<\/p>\n

\"Amanda\"AmandaAmanda Farrant lives on the edge of Newchurch, Romney Marsh, and believes composting is better for the environment and more cost-effective<\/p>\n

She would have to pay \u00a363.90 per year if she wanted to use the service provided by FHDC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a garden waste bin anymore because I do that instead,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes me not want to get a brown bin from the practicality side of things, but the costs are a factor too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I wanted to have a brown bin it would now be just over \u00a3100, although I suppose it would still probably last a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould I get the service if it were \u00a310 though? Yes, probably.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it\u2019s a lot of money just to get rid of garden waste\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you live in a village or a town when the binmen come round anyway then you shouldn\u2019t be paying a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you live in the middle of nowhere like I do I would expect to pay more as it\u2019s further to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Kayleigh Hilbert, of Newington, Sittingbourne, say it is \u201ccheeky\u201d SBC is now charging residents \u00a310 for a new bin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved here from Medway where it was free, but haven\u2019t paid for one since,\u201d Mrs Hilbert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaying \u00a362 does put us off. I think \u00a330 a month is a good amount to pay, but it should be in our council tax anyway so I don\u2019t understand why the prices keep going up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it\u2019s a lot of money just to get rid of garden waste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sittingbourne\"SittingbourneSittingbourne resident Kayleigh Hilbert says she is not planning to use the service<\/p>\n

In response, an SBC spokesman said its charge \u201cremains one of the lowest subscription prices in Kent\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe froze the price this year as we understand that many of our residents value the service,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe price works out to less than \u00a32.50 per collection, saving you the time, heavy lifting, dirt in your car and fuel needed for a trip to the tip, as we come to your home to collect your garden waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, there are other options such as composting garden cuttings at home or dropping it off at your local household recycling centres, as garden waste cannot be placed in the general refuse bins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe small fee for a new brown bin is in place to make sure we are delivering them only when necessary, making the service more cost effective and environmentally friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

KentOnline approached Thanet District Council for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Frustrated residents say they are planning to \u201cstick with the tip\u201d after all but two Kent councils hiked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[20110,1671,1083,1085,1086,1087,528,1537,1070,1089,529,20109,3863,309,1082,307,355,20108,5305,1071,1118,1672,1084,1091,4745,5,6,2721,1094],"class_list":["post-39355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uk","tag-all-kent-news","tag-ashford","tag-canterbury","tag-dartford","tag-deal","tag-dover","tag-environment","tag-faversham","tag-gravesham","tag-herne-bay","tag-human-interest","tag-hythe","tag-isle-of-sheppey","tag-kent","tag-maidstone","tag-malling","tag-medway","tag-sandwich","tag-sevenoaks","tag-sittingbourne","tag-syndicate","tag-tenterden","tag-thanet","tag-tonbridge","tag-tunbridge-wells","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-weald","tag-whitstable"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116593168381464141","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}