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Kensington and Chelsea bin collection days

Kensington and Chelsea collects household rubbish and recycling from the kerbside or from storage areas, mostly in bags. Rubbish goes out in strong bags or dustbins, recycling in clear recycling bags, and garden waste in bags supplied on subscription. Food waste is a sign-up service, and the council says it collects rubbish twice a week.

Last checked against 6 sources (www.rbkc.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Rubbish in a strong bag or dustbin · General waste

Bag · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Kitchen waste
  • Non-recyclable food packaging
  • Any reasonable amount of routine household rubbish from normal day-to-day life

Not in this one

  • Furniture and white goods
  • Paint and oil
  • Carpets and wood
  • Builders' waste
  • Electrical appliances, unless they fit in a normal size dustbin or black bag

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Clear recycling bag · Mixed recycling

Bag

Yes please

  • Aerosol cans
  • Aluminium foil, trays and tubes
  • Card, cardboard, unshredded paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, telephone directories and envelopes
  • Glass containers, bottles and jars, with metal lids taken off and put loose in the recycling
  • Food and drink cartons, including Tetra Pak type cartons
  • Metal containers, tins and cans
  • Plastic containers, bottles, pots, tubs, tubes and trays

Not in this one

  • Food waste and garden waste
  • Clothes, shoes and textiles
  • Carrier bags, polystyrene, cling film and other plastics
  • Wood, building or DIY materials
  • Metals other than foil, cans or lids
  • Shredded paper
  • Nappies, broken glass, Pyrex, light bulbs and batteries

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Black food waste caddy (limited service, sign-up needed) · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Raw and cooked food, including vegetables, meat, fish and bones
  • Fruit and peelings
  • Dairy, including cheese and eggs
  • Bread and pastries
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Eggshells
  • Rice, pasta and beans

Not in this one

  • Packaging of any kind
  • Black bags, which crews will not collect
  • Garden waste
  • Liquids such as milk, and oil or liquid fat
  • Anything that is not food waste

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Garden waste bags (subscription) · Garden waste

Bag · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Leaves and grass cuttings
  • Weeds and old garden or house plants
  • Flowers, twigs and hedge trimmings
  • Diseased plants

Not in this one

  • Plant pots, seed trays, wire ties, plastic, glass and metal
  • Gravel, stones, soil and logs
  • Branches thicker than 2.5 inches (6cm)
  • Meat waste, bones, fish, cooked food, vegetables and peelings
  • Japanese Knotweed

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

Use Kensington and Chelsea’s own page for your bin day

BinWeek's lookup service has no supported way to read this council's collection dates, so the page links to the council's own finder.

Find my bin day on www.rbkc.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Kensington and Chelsea
BinCollected
Rubbish in a strong bag or dustbin · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address
Black food waste caddy (limited service, sign-up needed) · Food wasteEvery week
Garden waste bags (subscription) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Kensington and Chelsea does not collect food waste every week. Kensington and Chelsea runs a food waste collection that residents sign up for, rather than a service delivered to every home. It covers kerbside properties with outdoor caddies or bags, communal bins on estates and in blocks of flats, and on-street food waste bins at some mini recycling centres. The council's page was last updated on 18 September 2026.

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The 2026 to 2027 garden waste subscription is £79.70 a year, or £59.70 for residents on benefits. The subscription year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and joining later in the year means paying for the remaining months only. It includes up to three bags per collection. Each extra bag allowance costs £9 and lets you put out one more bag with every collection until the end of the subscription year. Collections are every two weeks, on a Wednesday. Bags must be at the boundary of your property, not on the highway, by 7am on collection day, with your address written on them, and only the bags the council supplies are collected. New customers get their bags within 5 working days, and subscriptions cannot be refunded.

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

If your rubbish has not been collected by 3pm you can report it as a missed collection. The council arranges to collect it within 24 hours. Online forms were unavailable when the council last updated its food waste page on 18 September 2026, and it asked residents to phone Streetline instead on 020 7361 3001, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Wait until after 3pm on the day before reporting, and expect the collection within 24 hours.

Source: www.rbkc.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Kensington and Chelsea

  • Put rubbish and recycling out before 7am on the day of collection, not the night before, in your storage area if you have one or otherwise on the pavement as near the kerb as possible. It is an offence to put domestic waste out outside the scheduled days, with a fixed penalty of up to £1000.
  • Recycling is not sorted into different bins. Everything goes loose in one clear bag with the black rubbish bag on your scheduled collection day, and the crew puts the clear bags in a separate compartment of the lorry. Do not put recycling in black bags, because it will be incinerated with the rubbish.
  • The council delivers a pack of 22 clear recycling bags to each property every 3 months, by ward. If you miss a delivery you can phone Streetline on 020 7361 3001 or order extra bags. The quarterly delivery calendar for 2026 to 2027 runs ward by ward from 1 April to 31 March.
  • The council does not collect rubbish on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday or the summer bank holiday, but does collect on most other bank holidays. Check road signs and local advertising for special arrangements.
  • Food waste caddies come from the council once you sign up: a small black 7-litre kitchen caddy, a larger black 23-litre outdoor caddy and 12 months of liners. Flats may have to share an outdoor caddy, and blocks can ask for a communal bin through their property manager.
  • Online forms were not working when the food waste page was updated on 18 September 2026, including those for ordering recycling bags and food caddies, reporting missed collections and fly-tipping. The council asked for emails or a phone call to 020 7361 3001 in the meantime.
  • The recycling centres used by residents are run by the Western Riverside Waste Authority, at Smugglers Way in Wandsworth and Cringle Dock in Battersea. Cringle Dock is closed to cars, and drivers must book a slot at Smugglers Way in advance, though people on foot, bicycle or motorbike do not need to.

Bin questions in Kensington and Chelsea

How often is rubbish collected in Kensington and Chelsea?

The council says it collects rubbish twice a week and on most bank holidays. Your own days depend on your street, so use the council's collection day tool.

How do I get clear recycling bags in Kensington and Chelsea?

Households that put recycling on the doorstep or kerbside get a pack of 22 clear recycling bags every 3 months. If a delivery is missed, call Streetline on 020 7361 3001, or order extra bags from the council.

How much is garden waste collection in Kensington and Chelsea?

The 2026 to 2027 subscription is £79.70 a year, or £59.70 on benefits, and covers up to three bags per fortnightly collection. Extra bag allowances are £9 each.

Can I get food waste collected in Kensington and Chelsea?

Yes, but you sign up for it. The council collects food waste from kerbside properties, from communal bins on estates and in blocks of flats, and from on-street bins at some mini recycling centres.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils