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Maidstone recycling rates above 51% - Keep on recycling!

Thank you recyclers - Your recycling rates in Maidstone are now more than 51%!

That’s thousands of tonnes of paper, card, glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans, all properly recycled into something useful. This will help save valuable resources, reduce energy usage and improve the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of the area. Thank you! 

The national recycling rate is 44% so be proud of yourselves!

Our best recycling tip for your dry recycling is to make sure all bottles, cans and containers are empty before placing them loose in the recycling bin please. This makes a huge difference, you don't need to scrub them, just empty them before putting them in the bin.

Food waste collection 

Using your food waste collection bin is one of the best things you can do for the environment, we collect hundreds of tonnes of food waste every month, which is treated and then used as compost on local farmers fields.

Although some food waste is unavoidable, you will be amazed at how much food people do throw away, which is very expensive these days. 

Our main tips to help reduce food waste are; plan your meals, check the cupboards and fridge and then write a shopping list before going to the shops.

MBC provides a weekly food waste collection across the borough and the 23 litre food caddies can be ordered via our website.

To help reduce food waste, 'Love Food Hate Waste' have a number of tips, portion guides and recipes available on their site. 

Disposable barbeques

As we head into warmer months, many of you may be inviting friends round for a social barbeque, so a word on the safety on these throw away barbeques.

Please use them safely, be very careful around young children and pets as they remain very hot for a long time after you 've finished with them.

Once finished please make sure they are completely out and cold before putting them in them in your bin, We don't want fires in our bin lorries!

Winner of Maidstone Borough in Bloom competition Best pot or trough 2021

Still time to enter Maidstone Borough in Bloom competition

Entries are open until 1 July into the Maidstone Borough in Bloom competition so enter your gardens, pots or allotments now.

There are lots of categories and entries are welcomed from residents, businesses and community groups. Anyone entering will be given a £5 voucher to spend at Coolings.

A trophy will be awarded for the winner in each category. All winners will also receive a prize of £25.00 Coolings gift voucher as well as two adult annual tickets for Leeds Castle.

The Maidstone Borough in Bloom categories are:

• Best front garden 
• Best back garden 
• Best planted pot, trough or hanging basket  
• Best allotment plot  
• Best pollinator friendly garden 
• Best display of Jubilee colours 
• Best Commercial Garden or Horticultural Display  
• Best Community Project

Enter the competition by completing a Coolings Garden Centre entry form, which will be available through the MBC website using the link below:

This months gardening tip – if you need to water your plants in the hot weather, its best to do so early in the evening. This allows the water to be soaked into the ground and reduces evaporation. Finally, add mulch onto your soil too if you can.

If you have any tips about gardening or how to minimise waste which others could use please let us know by emailing us at recycling@maidstone.gov.uk

We shall try to recycle your tip in a future edition.

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