North Kesteven uses a black bin, a green-lidded recycling bin, a purple-lidded paper and card bin, an orange-lidded food caddy and a paid brown garden bin. Green-lidded and purple-lidded bins are four weekly. Food is weekly. The black bin sits in a published sequence, and the pages do not give it a frequency of its own.
Last checked against 6 sources (www.n-kesteven.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Damp, soiled or shredded paper and cardboard
Takeaway packaging, even if it looks clean, unless it is clear or light plastic that has been rinsed and dried
Tissues, kitchen roll, and bagged masks and other PPE
Polystyrene, black or brown plastic food trays, and soft plastics you cannot take to a shop collection point
Food pouches and crisp packets if there is no local scheme, and hard plastics such as toys and plant pots only as a last option with batteries removed
Not in this one
Batteries and electrical items, which the green-lid page says must not go in any household bin
The green-lid page does not publish any other no-list for the black bin
North Kesteven collects food waste every week. Separate weekly food collections began on Monday 30th March 2026. The page ties that to the Environment Act 2021 rule that from 31st March 2026 households separate food from residual waste. The orange-lidded caddy is collected weekly on the same day as the black, green-lidded or purple-lidded bin, by a different vehicle, and should be out by 6.30am. The indoor caddy is 5 litres. Liner packs that fit are 5 litre and 10 litre. Liners need not be compostable.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. For 2026/2027 the first bin is £50, also written as £50.00. Each additional bin collected is £30, also written as £30.00. Buying an extra brown bin is £49.50. The full-year fee applies even if you join part way through. There is no refund if you move out of the district or stop. New direct debit sign-ups are not being taken after a software update. Existing direct debit customers renew automatically. Everyone else pays by card. Up to 4 bins are allowed. The 2026/27 service runs from 23 March 2026 to 19 March 2027, and a mid-year join still ends on 19 March 2027. Collections are fortnightly and drop to monthly in December and January. The district is split into week 1 and week 2, shown on the sticker. Bins go out by 6:30am. There is no side waste. Veg peelings leave the brown bin from the week commencing 30 March 2026 and go in the weekly food caddy instead. Lincolnshire County Council arranges the composting and pays a gate fee. North Kesteven says it receives no income from the compost and does not sell compost bins.
Have the bin out by 6:30am. Bagged or loose waste beside the bin is not taken. A missed food caddy can be reported on the council's form. The your-bins page says to report a missed bin or caddy, and that a bin damaged during collection is replaced free of charge. If the resident causes irreparable damage, the council may ask them to pay. The your-bins page does not give a deadline. The detailed yes and no lists for every material sit in a PDF leaflet, which these tools do not read. An A to Z on the site opened as a form with no readable list. The pages read here do not say how many days you have to report a miss. They do say the bin must be out by 6:30am, and email reminders go out at 5pm the evening before.
The paper page says about half the volume used to be paper and card, which is why the green-lidded bin can run four weekly if bottles and cans are squashed. Paper goes to Palm Paper Limited in Kings Lynn. The lid has to stay shut so the paper does not get wet. Wrong materials are tagged and left until the next scheduled collection for that bin. There is no side waste.
Green-lidded recycling is plastic tubs and bottles, glass, tins and cans. The page says a Right Thing, Right Bin leaflet has the full grid for every bin. That leaflet is a PDF. The on-page list is shorter than the leaflet. Soft plastics that say they are recyclable still do not go in the green-lidded bin.
Non-recyclable waste from the black bin goes to the energy from waste plant at North Hykeham. The green-lid page says very little waste in Lincolnshire goes to landfill. Food is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant in Lincolnshire. Liners are split off and taken back to North Hykeham.
The indoor caddy is small enough for a worktop. The outdoor one locks when the handle is forward. Only one of each caddy is free. Assisted collections already in place cover the food caddy. The council will not take unwanted caddies back. A missed caddy can be reported, and the food page does not add a day limit.
Garden waste for 2026/27 is £50 for the first bin and £30 for each extra collection, with a purchased extra bin at £49.50. In 2023/24 the page says 35,526 households joined. Direct debit is closed to new sign-ups. December and January collections drop from fortnightly to monthly. Stickers usually arrive in the same month, and a missing sticker should not stop the crew.
Email reminders arrive at 5pm the evening before, naming the colour, including the brown bin if you are subscribed. The time cannot be changed. One email address holds one address. Queries about a missing address go to customer_services@n-kesteven.gov.uk.
As of 3 October 2026 the your-bins page still does not say how long a missed collection can be reported. A bigger green-lidded bin is 360 litres.
Bin questions in North Kesteven
How often is the North Kesteven black bin collected?
The paper and card page does not give the black bin its own interval. It says the order repeats as black, green-lidded, black, purple-lidded, and that the green-lidded and purple-lidded bins are four weekly.
What does North Kesteven garden waste cost in 2026?
£50 for the first bin, £30 for each additional bin collected, and £49.50 to buy another brown bin. The season is 23 March 2026 to 19 March 2027. Collections are fortnightly, then monthly in December and January.
Can I get a bigger recycling bin in North Kesteven?
The your-bins page says you can request a bigger green-lidded recycling bin of 360 litres if you need more capacity. A bin damaged by the crew is replaced free of charge. Damage you cause may have to be paid for. That page does not say how many days you have to report a missed bin.
What goes in the North Kesteven food caddy?
All food meant for people or pets, including bones, dairy, tea bags and peelings. Not food in packaging, and not liquids poured in. Collections are weekly and started on Monday 30th March 2026.
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