What we can & can't take
How same day rubbish collection actually works
What same day rubbish collection really means in Medway and Kent — the 11am cut-off, how slots are allocated, what can and cannot be done today, and what it costs.
- Written by Daniel Hartley, Operations Director & licensed waste carrier
- Reviewed by Priya Raman
- Updated 2026-08-16
Quick answer
How does same day rubbish collection work?
Same day rubbish collection means a crew is dispatched from a slot already held open that day. Book before 11am and most Medway and Kent addresses can be covered the same afternoon, priced from £140 for a quarter van load, with a two-hour arrival window confirmed by text rather than an all-day wait.
Reviewed by Daniel Hartley, Operations Director & licensed waste carrier · Last updated 2 August 2026
Key takeaways
- The 11am cut-off exists because tips and transfer stations close mid-afternoon
- Same day costs the same as a booked slot — £140 quarter load up to £400 full load
- You get a two-hour arrival window, not an all-day slot
- Large clearances and hoarded properties cannot be scoped and completed same day
- Nobody needs to be home if we have key safe access and a photo set
What 'same day' actually means operationally
We hold capacity back each morning rather than filling the day completely. When a same-day job comes in before 11am it goes into that reserved slot, gets routed to whichever crew is closest to it, and is collected that afternoon.
The 11am cut-off is not a sales tactic. Transfer stations and permitted facilities across Kent stop accepting loads in the middle of the afternoon, so a job booked at 2pm cannot be collected, loaded and tipped before the gates close. Booked after the cut-off, you get first slot the following morning instead.
What can realistically be done today
Anything that can be scoped from photographs and loaded within a couple of hours is a same-day job.
- Single items: a mattress, a sofa, a fridge, a wardrobe
- Quarter to full van loads of household or garden waste
- End of tenancy voids and single HMO rooms
- Garage, shed and loft contents that are already accessible
- Reactive fly-tip removal at a managed or commercial site
- Builders waste and rubble that is already bagged or stacked
What cannot be done today, and why we say so up front
A full four-bedroom house clearance, a hoarded property or a commercial strip-out needs a site assessment, a crew of the right size, sometimes more than one vehicle and often more than one day. Promising those same day means either an aborted visit or a price that changes on arrival.
The same applies to anything needing a specialist route — asbestos, clinical waste, gas bottles, fuels and solvents — which we are not licensed to move at all, same day or otherwise.
How the price works
There is no same-day premium. A quarter load is £140, half £210, three-quarters £290 and a full load £400, with per-item prices for mattresses (£60), fridges (£70) and upholstery (£70–£180) whether the collection happens today or next week.
We fix that price from your photos before dispatch, so the figure you agree on the phone is the figure on the invoice.
What happens on the day
You get a two-hour arrival window by text and a call when the crew is close. The crew carries out from wherever the waste is standing — no need to move anything to the kerbside — sweeps the area, takes payment on completion and the transfer note is emailed within 24 hours.
If you cannot be there, key safe or agent-key access is fine. We send an after photo set so you can see the space empty without attending.
Related questions
Services this guide relates to
Get a fixed price for your clearance today
Send a photo or a quick description and we'll confirm an all-in price — labour, transport and disposal included. Book before 11am for same-day collection across Kent.
Quick enquiry
Get a fixed price in under a minute
A few details and a photo is all we need. Prices are all-in — labour, transport and licensed disposal — and confirmed before we load. Same-day collection across Kent when you book before 11am.
- Fixed price, no hidden extras
- Upper tier registered carrier
- Waste transfer note by email