Changes to bin collections start June 2026 - Better Recycling
Information packs have been delivered to households throughout May, these include calendars that inform you when your bins will be collected under the new service. You can also check your next collection dates by searching for your address using Find My Nearest.
Read the information leaflets about the new service, including translated versions or hear about the upcoming bin service change with our full information audio description: Leaflets - Suffolk Recycling
Managing your waste if your new bin has not arrived
Sorry if we missed delivering your bin as part of our scheduled deliveries. If you have not yet received your new green lidded bin or food caddies you can log this with our Customer Services team: Report a damaged or non delivered bin.
If the green-lidded bin does not arrive before your first paper and card collection, please:
start separating your waste if you have space to store paper and cardboard where it will remain clean and dry
place any paper and card you have collected, ideally in a cardboard box, at your bin collection point on your green-lidded bin day and it will be collected if it is clean and dry
If you cannot store the paper and card whilst waiting for your new bin, it can be placed in your blue bin, and the bin will still be collected on your blue collection day.
If your food waste caddies have not arrived, please continue to use your general waste bin or home composting until they arrive.
What has changed and when
What has changed
New Government policy (GOV.UK - Simpler Recycling policy) requires councils to collect food waste in a separate container and to collect paper and card separately from other recycling. For this reason, we delivered two new external bins and an internal one for your food
When
Information packs have been delivered to households throughout May, these include calendars that inform you of when your bins will be collected, following the new service launch in June 2026.
Who has paid
The Government have provided extra funding to help set up this new service. New rules will also make packaging producers invest more towards waste and recycling.
Your new bins and collections
Most households will have:
one extra 240 litre green lidded recycling bin for their paper and card - approximately 110 cm high by 59 cm wide by 75 cm deep
23 litre food caddy (outside) - 39 cm by 29 cm by 34 cm
5 litre kitchen caddy (inside) - 21 cm by 25 cm by 19 cm.
Your current blue bin will continue to be for recycling but will now also include you being able to recycle glass bottles and jars, plastic film, metal and cartons (including Tetra Pak).
Collection times
Due to the new service your bin collection days and schedules may change but we have kept these changes to a minimum. These changes have been confirmed in the information pack and calendar sent to residents in May.
Households will have:
food waste collected weekly
paper and card (grey recycling bin with green lid) collected once every four weeks
mixed recycling (blue bin) collected once every four weeks
non-recyclable (black bin) waste collected once every two weeks
garden waste (paid for service) collected once every two weeks
Your garden waste collection day will not change.
Overview of new bin collections:
I have no space for extra bins
We are identifying properties with no front storage or no rear access. If your home is one of these, we will be supplying you with a suitable alternative. You will not need to contact us to inform us if you live in one of these properties.
What goes in your bins
Your new green lidded recycling bin for paper and card
Clean and dry only:
letters, envelopes and other paper including shredded paper
cardboard
newspapers, magazines and books
cardboard egg boxes and punnets
Do not put dirty food wrappers or other items that can be recycled in with clean paper and card.
Your new Food waste bin
Your smaller caddy is for the kitchen, and the larger lockable caddy is to go outside with other bins.
These items belong in the food caddy:
leftover food, plate scrapings and peelings
meat and fish (including bones)
tea bags and coffee grounds
bread, pasta and rice
eggshells and dairy products
fruit and vegetables
pet food
Do not put windfall food (fallen fruit) in your food bin.
Changes to what can go in your blue recycling bin
glass bottles and jars
clean foil trays and drinks cans
cartons (including Tetra Pak)
plastic bottles, clean pots, tubs and trays
carrier bags
bubble wrap
empty food bags, such as cereal, pasta, mixed salad, frozen chips and frozen peas
tin foil
General waste (non-recycling)
Please only use this bin for waste that cannot be recycled for example:
bagged animal waste
bagged vacuum contents
nappies
soiled fast food containers
other non-recyclable waste
Do not put batteries, electrical items, paint, asbestos and hazardous items in this bin.
Garden waste collection (brown bin) is a subscription service
Your collection day for garden waste will not change.
Put these items in your brown bin:
dead plants and flowers
grass, leaves and weeds (excluding controlled weeds such as Giant Hogweed or Japanese Knotweed)
hedge clippings
prunings and twigs
clean sawdust (not containing pet waste)
small branches (less than 6cm thick)
vegetable waste from the garden (not kitchen waste)
Do not put food items in your brown bin unless its windfall (fallen fruit).
Flats and communal bins
If you live in a flat or a property which shares communal bins, or we have assessed your property as unsuitable for wheelie bins, the waste containers you will use for the new service may be different.
We have reviewed bin provision for flats and communal areas. We have worked with landlords and management companies to make sure enough bins are available.
Bins not received or extra bins received
If you have received extra bins, please check whether they belong to a neighbour. If you have not received your bins, please check to see if a neighbour received your bins in error. If not, please contact us by phoning Customer Services on 01284 757320 or fill in the Customer Service enquiry form
What happens to recycling
The paper and card that we collect will be taken to a specialist paper recycling plant to be checked for contamination and then processed for recycling.
The recycling waste from your blue bin will still be taken to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF). Items are separated and checked for contamination and then sent on to companies who recycle them. The MRF is being re-designed to sort the glass, plastics, metal and cartons collected in the blue recycling bins.
What happens to non-recycling in your black bin
Waste from your black bin goes to the energy from waste plant in Great Blakenham. Waste is then incinerated to generate electricity.
We do not send waste to landfill.
Food waste collection and processing
Food waste will be collected weekly in the new food waste bins. It will go to an anaerobic digestion plant - a process that breaks down food waste to make biogas and bio‑fertiliser. Biogas can power vehicles, make electricity or supply gas. Bio‑fertiliser is used on farmland.
Give yourself more space in your bin
Reduce your waste:
buy only what you need. Choose items with less or recyclable packaging
wash and squash plastic bottles, tubs and cartons
nest similar shaped items (for example yoghurt pots)
flatten cardboard boxes
plan meals and freeze leftovers. See Love Food Hate Waste and Food Savvy for tips
if you have extra rubbish take it to your local Recycling centre.
