Longer hours and booking changes at waste centres

Increased opening hours, more available bookings and the chance to secure a slot a month in advance have all come into force at Kent’s recycling centres this week.

The county council has revealed a number of revisions to the services on offer at its household waste centres.

All 18 sites run by the authority will be open seven days a week and opening hours will increase to 8.30am until 3.45pm, in changes that came into effect on Monday.

Residents can now book two slots each calendar month per household to rid themselves of waste, rather than the previous limitation of one visit.

Overall, the number of booking slots available across the tips will rise from 22,000 per week to 32,000.

Those wanting to plan ahead can now secure a time slot for their visit a month in advance, with new openings being added each day.

As before, once a booking has been confirmed, the council will send out a reference number via email which must be used when visiting the recycling centre.

Visitors to the tip are advised to wear protective gloves and continue to adhere to social distancing rules.

Anyone disposing of waste thought to be potentially contaminated with Covid-19 must double bag the material and store the bag securely for 72 hours before taking it to the tip.

Meanwhile, the three recycling centres run by Medway Council will continue with the existing set-up in place. No revisions to the timetables have yet been announced.

To book a slot at a Kent County Council-run centre, visit www.kent.gov.uk/waste-planning-and-land/rubbish-and-recycling/

The changes to Kent’s recycling centres came into force on Monday this week