Statement from Cllr Rick Everitt, Leader of Thanet District Council

“We know that in recent weeks our household waste and recycling collections have been disrupted for some of our residents. Your Councillors live in Thanet too, so we see the issues with bin collections firsthand.

“I want to assure you that we’re closely monitoring the situation and making immediate operational improvements to get things back on track.

“The root of the issue is that in April we started Simpler Recycling which is a government requirement to offer all households a recycling service. This is a positive change that benefits our environment but it’s had a wider impact. 

“While most Thanet residents already had a full recycling service, around a third, 27,000 households didn’t. 

“We’re pleased that since the changes started, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of recycling we collect. However the amount of general waste being put out for collection by households whose services have changed far exceeds the volume of recycling. This has unbalanced the collections from week to week and has resulted in some collections being late and others being missed.

“No households are being asked to store more waste than before. We’re asking people to separate waste into the appropriate categories. Food waste, which can be the most difficult waste type to keep, is now collected every week for all households in Thanet.

“2025 data shows that 45.9%¹ of Thanet’s residual waste could have been recycled. Separating waste would make a real difference to our ability to collect it. And make a difference to the environment.

“Focusing our efforts on getting waste and recycling right won’t mean less beach or street cleansing, particularly as we head towards summer. We’ve already put additional resources into beach cleansing for this year.

“When something like waste collection changes, we know it takes time for things to adjust and we’d like to thank residents for their patience and cooperation.  

“The service is not at the standard residents rightly expect and all Councillors are determined to get it back to where it needs to be.”

“If your bin isn’t collected on the day it’s due then please leave it out when you can and we will get to it as soon as we are able. We always aim to make this situation the exception.”

Notes
^1.Source: 45.9% from 2025 KCC waste composition analysis report