New Recycling Collection Service FAQ's
1. What is the New Recycling Collection Service?
This is a better fortnightly recycling collection service for
paper, card, plastic, tins & cans. A weekly refuse collection
will continue on the same day of the week.
2. Why are the Council introducing the
New Recycling Collection Service?
The Council has completed a thorough review of waste collection
and recycling services and the Cabinet Member for Environment has
recommended that weekly refuse collections should remain alongside
a new, better fortnightly recycling collection service.
3. How will the service
change?
Most households will be getting a new grey wheelie bin for their
weekly refuse collections. Residents will be asked to use
their existing green wheelie bins for their fortnightly recycling
collections.
Black recycling boxes will be provided for people who do not
have wheelie bins or space for a second bin. We will supply extra
boxes for recycling on request.
4. Where will the refuse and recycling
be taken after collection?
Refuse will be taken to the Energy-from-Waste Facility in
Allington.
Recycling will be taken to the Materials Recycling Facility
(MRF) in Allington where it will be sorted before being sent off
for recycling.
5. Who will receive the New Recycling
Collection Service?
Every household in the borough will receive the new service by
the end of May 2009.
6. When will the service be
introduced?
The new service will be introduced in three phases: February
2008, March 2009 and May 2009.
7. What can go into my recycling
bin/box?
Your waste paper, card, plastic, tins & cans will be
recycled if placed in your recycling bin/box. No glass or
other materials please.
8. What if I put the wrong materials in
my recycling bin/box?
The collection crew will check recycling bin/box contents.
Contaminated bins/boxes will have a sticker attached to explain the
problem, and will not be emptied until the wrong material has been
removed.
Where a small amount of contaimination is present, a yellow
sticker will be placed on your bin/box, asking you to remove the
contamination. If you remove it, your recycling container will be
emptied on the next scheduled recycling collection day, together
with any extra recycling you might not be able to fit in your
bin/box.
Where a large amount of contamination is present, or if you have
used your recycling container for non-recyclable waste, a red
sticker will be placed on your bin/box, asking you to ring the
Council so that we can visit you to explain how the new recycling
service should be used. Your bin/box will then be emptied with the
non-recyclable waste on your next collection day.
If you repeatedly use the recycling container for non-recyclable
waste we may remove your recycling bin/box completely.
9. What if I can't fit all my
recyclables in my green recycling bin?
Please try to reduce the volume of bulky items such as plastic
bottles, cardboard boxes and cans by crushing them if you can do so
safely.
If you have an old glass or paper box you can put that out
alongside your green bin. You can also use a cardboard box
but please NO PLASTIC BAGS OR SACKS FOR RECYCLABLES.
If you would like another green bin or a larger green bin for
recyclables, just call us and we will deliver one.
10. What is I can't fit all my
recyclables in my recycling box?
Please try to reduce the volume of bulky items such as plastic
bottles, cardboard boxes and cans by crushing them if you can do so
safely. If you would like extra boxes, please call us and we will
deliver them. You can also use a cardboard box but please NO
PLASTIC BAGS OR SACKS FOR RECYCLABLES.
11. How will I know what week my
recycling is going to be collected?
You will receive a recycling calendar approximately 7-10 days
before your New Recycling Collection Service begins. This
will tell you which weeks your recycling will be collected.
12. I live in a flat, will I receive
the new Recycling Collection Service?
If you have a communal bin area and there is room, communal
recycling bins will be supplied for paper, card, plastic, tins
& cans.
13. I don't currently receive a paper
collection. Will I receive the new Recycling Collection
Service?
Yes, you will receive the new service. The reason you do
not currently receive the paper collection is due to access
difficulties. We will be adding a narrow access recycling
vehicle to the rounds, so all properties will receive the new
service.
14. What help will be provided for the
infirm or disabled?
Pull-out assisted collections will be provided on request for
those residents who are infirm or disabled and have nobody in the
household who can move their refuse and recycling to the
boundary. If you currently receive an assisted refuse
collection, you will automatically receive an assisted refuse and
recycling collection in the future.
If your property is not suitable for wheelie bins, we can
provide assistance with recycling box collections for putting out
recyclable materials. Please call us if you need either of
these services.
15. I have a green wheelie bin but
don't have room for a second wheelie bin. What will
happen?
If we have assessed your property as suitable for only one bin,
when your new grey wheelie bin for refuse is delivered, your green
wheelie bin will be collected. You will be able to use your
existing black paper box for recycling and you can have more
recycling boxes on request. You can also use your yellow
glass box (if you have one) or cardboard boxes to put out your
recycling for collection.
16. Why collect one wheelie bin
and deliver another?
To avoid confusion, all refuse wheelie bins will be grey and all
recycling wheelie bins will be green.
17. Will my green wheelie bin be
cleaned by the Council before being used for recyclable
waste?
We do not feel that it is necessary to clean the green wheelie
bins out before using them for recyclable material. Should you wish
to clean your bin, you may do so yourself or by paying a bin
cleaning company to do it for you. We will not be offering a bin
cleaning service to residents.
18. What will happen to my existing
Paper Kerbside Recycling Collection service?
Your paper will now be collected as part of the new recycling
service, from your green recycling wheelie bin, or box, together
with card, plastic, tins & cans every fortnight.
19. Why are you not providing a glass
recycling service?
Prior to the start of the new recycling service, separate
kerbside glass collections were received by 14,000 or so
households. However the service didn't make sense environmentally
or economically as any glass put in household rubbish will be
recycled after it is incinerated. It is burnt and
collected for use as aggregate in road construction – and that's
exactly the same end product that we got from the mixed kerbside
glass collection, so it really doesn't make sense to collect mixed
glass from the kerbside.
It's far better if residents take their glass to bottle banks
and sort it by colour so it can be recycled into new glass bottles
and jars.
20. What will happen to my current
Garden Waste Collection service?
Your Garden Waste Collection Service will remain the same and
will continue to be collected fortnightly. You can hire a
Garden Waste bin for £25 per year or buy MBC green sacks from local
outlets at £2.25 for a roll of 5.
21. Will the Paper and Glass boxes that
are no longer needed for recycling collections be retrieved by the
Council?
No. These boxes will not be collected. You can keep
them to put out extra recycling or use them for storage.
22. What if I don't want to
recycle? Will I be fined if I put recyclables in my grey
bin?
Maidstone Borough Council has no current plans to compel
residents to recycle or use financial penalties, even though we
have been given powers to do so. However, it is in the
interests of everyone to recycle, to reduce environmental impact
and to minimise costs, which affect everyone's council tax
bills.
23. I use black sacks for my refuse
because I don't have room for a wheelie bin. How will I be
able to use the new recycling service?
You will be able to use your existing black paper box for
recycling and you can have more boxes on request. You can
also use your old yellow glass box (if you have one), or cardboard
boxes to put out your recycling for collection, if you fill your
recycling box.
24. What size bin will I receive for my
refuse?
If you already have a:
Standard 240 litre green bin, you will receive a grey 190 litre
bin.
Smaller 140 litre green bin, you will receive a grey 140 litre
bin.
Larger 360 litre green bin, you will receive a grey 240 litre
bin.
25. I have a large family, can I have
larger bin?
Yes, if your household meets our criteria for a "large family",
you can have a 240 litre grey bin on request. You can have a 360
litre green bin for recyclables if you feel the standard size will
not be big enough. You can also have an additional green bin
for recycling on request.
26. What if I cannot fit all my
refuse in my new grey wheelie bin?
If you use the recycling collection service for paper, card,
plastic, tins & cans, you should be able to fit all of your
non-recyclable waste in your new grey wheelie bin. We still have a
'no side waste' policy so any extra non-recyclable refuse put out
for collection by the side of your grey bin will not be
collected. The lid of your bin must be closed. If you
occasionally have extra refuse, you will need to take it to the
Household Waste Recycling Centre in Tovil.
If you often struggle to fit all your refuse in your bin,
despite recycling everything you can, please call us for advice. We
will arrange to visit and help provide a solution.
27. What am I allowed or not allowed to
put in my new grey wheelie bin?
Your new grey wheelie bin is for household rubbish that cannot
be recycled. There are certain items that we cannot collect
because they are classed as hazardous. These include
chemicals, paints and paint tins, flammable materials, oils and
oily wastes, clinical waste such as hypodermic needles and
dressings. Builders' waste and garden waste are also
specifically excluded.
28. What about large items of refuse
that will not fit in my bin?
Arrangements for large items are unchanged. You can take
them to the Household Waste Recycling Site in Tovil, use the
Weekend Freighter service or book a special Bulky Collection
Service.
29. Will I be charged per weight of
refuse, will you fit 'chips' to the bins?
Maidstone Borough Council has no current plans to charge by
weight for emptying. But we will only collect refuse
contained within the grey bin with the lid closed. We will not be
fitting 'chips' to the new bins to monitor usage.
30. I only have room for one
wheelie bin and have been told this will change from green to
grey. Why change the colour? What will be done with the
old bin?
The colour change is so that all recycling bins in the borough
are green and all refuse bins are grey. Any bins taken away
will be repaired and cleaned as necessary before being
reused.
31. Why does my neighbour / the next
street receive the new recycling service but I do not?
As we roll out the New Recycling Service we are including as
many properties as possible, whilst ensuring we provide a good
quality reliable service. We cannot cover all properties
straight away. Properties throughout the borough on roads
served by our narrow access vehicle that previously had no
recycling collection service will be included in the new
service.