News Waste Collection Update: Allington Household Waste Recycling Centre
A fire at the Allington depot is causing temporary disruptions to waste collection services in Maidstone.
The blaze, which Kent Fire and Rescue Service brought under control on Monday, June 9, 2025, has forced refuse collectors to travel to Sittingbourne to tip their loads. This is causing delays and Maidstone Borough Council is asking for residents' understanding and co-operation.
Despite the incident, Suez (the council’s waste contractors) worked incredibly hard and completed 94% of their collections for Monday, but it’s possible that services may not run as smoothly as usual over the coming days.
What you need to know:
- Delays expected: Bin collections in certain areas will be disrupted.
- Leave bins out: Please continue to leave your bins available and visible for collection.
- Hold off on reporting missed collections: The council is urging residents not to report missed bin collections unless their neighbours' bins have been emptied and theirs has not. This will help reduce the volume of unnecessary calls and allow council staff to focus on resuming normal service.
A spokesperson for Maidstone Borough Council said
We are working hard to resume a normal service following the fire, the team are doing their utmost to offer the best service possible.
The situation is under constant review. Whilst the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it has prompted officials to remind residents to ensure they dispose of their rubbish correctly with the council spokesperson adding:
It's possible the fire was sparked by mobile phone and vape batteries mistakenly put into household bins. This highlights a serious risk we want to avoid.Please, never dispose of items containing lithium-ion batteries in your general household waste or recycling. These batteries pose an extremely high fire risk, and once ignited, these fires are difficult to extinguish.
Instead, always take them to a designated collection point. This ensures they're handled safely and prevents dangerous incidents.