Saturday Freighter Service

This service is offered free of charge to residents of Maidstone Borough.

From the 21st August this year, the freighter service will operate on a Saturday only to improve efficiency and reduce cost, however the number of sites visited remains unchanged. Streamlining the service and replanning the route also reduces the amount of miles we have to drive, so also reduces the CO2 emissions.

Waste collected by the freighter is taken to landfill so therefore we can no longer accept garden waste, large bulky items or household waste (from wheeled bins or black sacks) as there are better ways of treating this waste in Maidstone. Many items can be recycled at the household waste recycling centre in Tovil.

If you have a large amount of garden waste you can book a bulky collection (as long as it is suitable contained in builders bags etc) or take it to your local household waste recycling site where it will be sent for composting. Alternatively, you may wish to hire a garden bin.

The service is provided for the collection of certain items of rubbish that cannot be put out with your weekly refuse collection or recycled, such as an old bicycle, broken rotary washing line, old fitness equipment such as bikes and rowing machines, old carpet and underlay, home furnishings and bric-a-brac, DIY waste such as broken tiles, plumbing, radiators etc. We will also accept broken or small items of furniture and plastic items such as broken garden chairs and toys.

We will accept wood and metal but it would preferable to take these materials to the household waste recycling centre in Tovil where they will be sent off for recycling.    

To find out when the freighter is in your area, please see the calendar below.

Important Information

• Only freighter staff are authorised to load items into the vehicle. For your own safety you must remain outside the cordoned area, children must be kept away from the freighter at all times. 
• In busy periods, it may be necessary to queue to hand over your bulky items,abusive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated.
• Please approach the vehicle from the side and always be aware of moving traffic.   
• Please do not leave items on the pavement or road before or after the Freighter visits.
• Freighter operatives have the right to refuse to accept waste particularly if it is hazardous, can cause damage to the vehicle or cause danger to the public, such as:
• Flammables
• Large quantities liquids/powders
• Paints/Oils
• Lighting tubes
• Vehicle parts/batteries/tyres etc
• Commercial waste
• Garden waste
• Large bulky items including sofas
• Clinical waste
• Asbestos
• Plasterboard can no longer be collected by the weekend freighter or household bulky collections, this is due to the acid produced when landfilled. Waste plasterboard should be taken to the household waste recycling centre in Tovil.  

Electrical Items

We can no longer collect electrical items such as fridges, televisions, monitors etc. Under European legislation we'd have to provide a separate vehicle to continue to collect these items. We will accept other old electrical appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves etc, however we would prefer it if you could take them to the household waste recycling centre in Tovil where they will be recycled. You can also dispose of electrical appliances through our paid for bulky collection service. 

Saturday Freighter Calendar

21st August -18th December 2010