What goes in your bin
Recycling bin - green bin and black box
Your green wheelie bin is for recycling and is collected fortnightly. If you live in a house that has no room for a wheelie bin, you can have a black box for your recycling.
Please make sure all the bottles and containers/tins are empty and place them into your recycling bin loose, without any plastic bags or sacks.
| What you can put in | What you can't put in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass bottles and jars | Plastic sacks and carrier bags | ||
| Plastic meat trays | Nappies | ||
| Fruit and vegetable punnets | Food waste | ||
| Plastic bottles | Cling film and plastic films | ||
| Yogurt pots and plastic tubs | Crisp packets | ||
| Newspaper and magazines | Cartons | ||
| Leaflets and envelopes | Bread bags | ||
| Cardboard packaging | Polystyrene | ||
| Flattened cardboard | Textiles, shoes or clothes | ||
| Cans and tins | Electrical items | ||
| Metal bottle tops and jar lids | Batteries | ||
| Kitchen foil and foil trays | Pet food pouches | ||
| Empty aerosol cans | |||
Food recycling - black and orange food bin
We will supply you with a food bin however, you can buy a kitchen caddy for inside from most homeware stores or online. Alternatively you can reuse a container, for example an ice cream tub.
You do not have to line your kitchen caddy, but if you do please use compostable bags, kitchen roll or newspaper as plastic bags cannot be composted. Residents are able to purchase liners at a discounted rate from Bio Bag. Liners are made out of potato starch, corn starch or paper and are certified EN 13432.
| What you can put in | What you can't put in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All dairy products | Liquids | ||
| Bread, cakes and pastries | Oil or liquid fat | ||
| Eggs | Packaging of any sort | ||
| Fruit and vegetables | Plastic bags | ||
| Meat and fish (including bones) | Compostable cups and plates | ||
| Rice, pasta and beans | |||
| Tea bags and coffee grounds | |||
| Any leftovers | |||
Garden waste - brown bin
| What you can put in | What you can't put in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers and plants | Kitchen scraps | ||
| Grass cuttings | Rubble | ||
| Hedge trimmings and prunings | Stones | ||
| Leaves and small branches | Turf | ||
| Weeds and a small amount of leaves | Soil or compost | ||
Non-recyclable waste - black bins and sacks
Your black wheelie bin is for rubbish that can’t be recycled and is collected fortnightly.
| What you can't put in | |
|---|---|
| Builders rubbish such as rubble, tiles or wood | |
| Bulky heavy items | |
| DIY items such as paint tins | |
| Electrical items | |
| Flammable liquids | |
| Gas bottles including fire extinguishers | |
| Needles | |
| Tyres or car batteries | |
| Mirrors/glass | |
Glass, shoes and textiles
You can recycle glass, shoes and textiles at the following locations:
| Where | Glass | Shoes | Textiles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allington: London Road Park and Ride | |||
| Barming: The Bull Inn, Tonbridge Road | |||
| East Farleigh: The Bull Pub, Lower Road | |||
| Grafty Green: Who'd a Thought It Pub, Headcorn Road | |||
| Grove Green: Tesco, Grovewood Drive | |||
| Leeds: Leeds Castle Golf Course | |||
| Mote Park: Willington Street Park & Ride | |||
| Senacre: Senacre Square, Woolley Road | |||
| Shepway: Morrisons, Sutton Road | |||
| Town Centre: Samaritans, 48 Grecian Street |
What happens to your recycling
Mixed
Including:
- paper, card and cardboard
- glass bottles and jars
- plastic bottles
- Plastic grocery packaging
- Tins and cans
- Kitchen foil and foil trays
- Empty aerosol cans
Mixed recycling is taken to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Crayford. Once at Crayford the mixed recycling is sorted into specific categories such as paper, card, glass, plastic, and metals which are baled and ready to then be sent on to suppliers to be made into new products.
Domestic rubbish
The rubbish from your black bin is taken to Kent Enviropower in Allington. Here the waste is burnt to create electricity.
Food
The food recycling collected from resident’s homes is taken to a composting facility in East Malling. It’s treated at high temperatures to kill any harmful bacteria and then used locally on farms as a soil improver.
Garden waste
Garden waste collected from your garden bin is taken to East Malling for composting, which is used on local farms.
Learn more about recycling
Love Food Hate Waste
A third of the food we buy in the UK gets thrown away. For tips on storing food and recipes for using up leftovers you can visit the Love Food Hate Waste website.
Educational visits
If you are a school, community group or run a Cub or Brownie pack, we can give talks and presentations. Topics include recycling, composting and littering.
If your group would like to organise a litter pick, we can give advice, equipment and even help collect the rubbish.
If you'd like to organise a litter pick or are interested in our educational visits email waste@maidstone.gov.uk.
Eco Schools
Eco Schools is a programme for schools which aims to raise awareness of sustainable development issues, to find out more you can take a look on the Keep Britain Tidy website.