Ashford empties a grey refuse bin and a green recycling bin every two weeks, and a black food caddy with an orange lid every week. Garden waste is a paid brown bin, also fortnightly, except at Christmas and New Year. Collection days come from the council's own look-up tool.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.ashford.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Grey refuse bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Dirty paper towels, cotton wool and used tissues
Soft plastic such as bread bags, crisp packets and cling film
Nappies, sanitary products, cotton buds and toothbrushes
Small amounts of broken glass, such as wine glasses, glass dishes and mirrors
Pet waste
Not in this one
Electrical items, batteries, cigarette lighters and vapes
Builders' waste, paint tins, hazardous waste and chemicals
Clinical waste and needles
Garden waste
Side waste, rubbish left outside the bin, and rubbish in charity bags
Ashford collects food waste every week. Food waste goes out every week in the black outdoor caddy with the orange lid, by 6am on the normal collection day. The council collects only that caddy. An indoor caddy costs £5. The outdoor caddy, including a replacement, is free. A liner used inside the outdoor caddy must be compostable. Food is treated at Blaise Quarry Farm near Maidstone by anaerobic digestion.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The subscribe section says the price is £64 for the year and covers the bin and the collections. The FAQ on the same page says anyone who registers, at a current cost of £62 a year, receives a new 240 litre brown wheeled container. If the renewal date is on or after 1 June, the page says the price is the new rate even when you renew before that date. The page does not say which of the two prices applies on a given day. Collections are fortnightly except at Christmas and New Year, on a rolling year counted from the payment date. A new brown bin can take up to 10 working days. If you already have a bin, collections start 3 working days after payment. There is no refund if you stop. A frozen bin in winter is not returned for. Stolen bins are replaced free of charge. Sharing one bin with a neighbour is allowed, and extra bins are charged per container.
Put the bin out by 6am next to the public highway and bring it in after collection. The grey bin lid must be closed. Side waste, charity bags and anything not securely inside the bin stay behind. Bank holidays run as normal except Christmas and New Year. The find-my-bin-day page says a missed bin has to be reported and then left out. Report a missed bin within two working days of the collection, then leave it out. A missed garden bin has the same two working days, and there is no refund if that window is missed.
Each household is given one grey refuse bin, described as 180-litre. The council says it only empties that size, except at communal properties, and can refuse a larger bin. An extra grey bin needs authorisation. Clothes and fabrics should go to a charity shop, a textile bank or a household waste recycling centre, not into the grey bin.
The green bin is for dry recycling, loose, or in a clear sack if a bag is needed. Flatten boxes and bottles, and rinse food off. The recycling page says 14% of recycling is still contaminated. Food, black bin bags and nappies are the common mistakes. A contaminated load can be rejected and treated as refuse. Ashford Borough Council collects the recycling and Kent County Council disposes of it.
The refuse page lists toothpaste tubes among things that can go in the grey bin. The recycling page lists toothpaste tubes among things that can go in the green bin. Both sentences are on the council's pages.
Electrical items, batteries and vapes stay out of every bin because they can start fires in the vehicles. Take them to a Kent household waste recycling centre, a shop, a supermarket or a charity.
The outdoor food caddy has a lockable lid. The council will not collect food from any other container. Food that cannot be composted at home, including meat, fish and bones, is what the caddy is for. The food page says there is no such thing as not producing enough.
Garden waste can also go to the KCC recycling centre on the Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate, where it is composted for farms in Kent. The subscription page does not name a Christmas collection date beyond saying collections pause at Christmas and New Year.
As of 3 October 2026 the garden page prints both £64 and £62. The report-a-missed-bin form is a separate address from the find-my-bin-day page, which is the page that states the two working day rule.
Bin questions in Ashford
How often are Ashford's bins collected?
Grey refuse and green recycling are every two weeks. The black and orange food caddy is every week. The brown garden bin is fortnightly except at Christmas and New Year. All of them go out by 6am.
What does Ashford garden waste cost?
The top of the garden page says £64 for the year, including the bin and the collections. The FAQ says a current cost of £62 a year and a new 240 litre brown bin. Renewals on or after 1 June use the new rate.
How do I report a missed bin in Ashford?
The find-my-bin-day page says to report it within two working days and then leave the bin out. Bins go out by 6am. Collections are unchanged on bank holidays except Christmas and New Year.
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