Recycling - information and advice
Frequently asked questions
Policy and Procedures
For information regarding waste and recycling
policies and procedures please view the council’s
Policy and Procedure Statement.
With regard to the process for managing
resident’s waste, the following flowchart shows how solutions are
identified.
Information
Recycling from your green bin or black box is taken to the
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) next to the Energy from Waste
Facility (EFW) in Allington, Maidstone, where the recyclable
material is sorted.
From January 31, 2011, the council introduced separate weekly food waste collections. The food
waste is composted locally, where it is treated at high
temperatures to kill off any bacteria and the finished product is
used as a soil conditioner on famers fields to grow more
crops.
Paper
The paper collected from your recycling
collection service and local recycling banks is taken to Aylesford
Newsprint. The paper is used to produce a premium quality newsprint
called renaissance, which is 100% recycled. This paper is then used
by the newspaper industry.
Glass
The glass collected from your local recycling
banks is collected in one large truck with separate compartments
for each of the glass colours. This glass is transported to
Yorkshire where it is processed ready to be recycled into new glass
bottles and jars.
If you are not able to take your
glass to the bottle banks and you place it in your general
rubbish, it is taken to the Energy from Waste Facility (EFW) in
Allington where the glass will be recycled into road
aggregate following incineration.
Cardboard
Cardboard from your kerbside recycling
service goes to various reprocessors in the UK.
Cans
Aluminium cans from the kerbside
collections go to Warrington in Cheshire for
reprocessing. Steel cans are sent for reprocessing in the
UK.
Plastic
Plastic collected
in kerbside collections are taken to the MRF in Allington where
they are sorted, squashed and baled up for reprocessing in the
UK.
Shoes
The European Recycling Company collects shoes from local
recycling banks and sends them to developing countries
worldwide. The shoes are refurbished at their final
destination, generating local employment.
Textiles
Textiles are collected through a network of
Salvation Army, British Heart Foundation and Oxfam recycling
banks. Useable clothing is either given to people who need it
in this country or exported abroad. The textiles that are not
useable are recycled into a variety of products such as mattress
filing and bank notes. There are also many
charity shops who will gladly accept good quality used
items including clothes and household items.
Remember to visit your local recycling sites to recycle glass, textiles,
shoes, books etc.
Cartons
Cartons used for milk, fuit juice, sauce, soup etc can now be
recycled at five of the recycling sites in the borough,
these banks are operated by the manufacturers of the
cartons and they are recycled into high strength paper
products.
Many more materials, from spectacles to
cooking oil can be recycled at your local
Household Waste Recycling site
Garden waste
collected by the council is composted locally.
For more general recycling information please follow this link
To check the details of your refuse and recycling collections,
please put your postcode in the box below and click on the ‘search’
button.