East Suffolk Council
Council to consider transformation of recycling services
East Suffolk Council will consider proposals to radically increase the range and volume of products which can be presented for household recycling at a meeting of its Cabinet next week.
Working together in response to Government legislation, Suffolk’s district and borough authorities - Babergh, East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk Councils - are all reviewing their waste and recycling services to meet new nationwide ‘Simpler Recycling’ requirements by 31 March 2026.
With this in mind, East Suffolk’s Cabinet will discuss plans to vary the existing ‘dry’ recycling collection service by including glass and cartons; with plastic film to be incorporated the following year. This will be in addition to a brand-new weekly food waste collection, which is to be introduced across the county in the Spring of 2026.
As part of this refreshed recycling approach, East Suffolk will consider the adoption of ‘twin stream’ collections, where all households would be supplied with an additional wheelie bin or other container to separate paper and card, from plastics, metal, cartons (including Tetra Pak) and glass bottles or jars.
Twin stream recycling would reduce the amount of processing required at the Material Recycling Facility (MRF) keeping paper and card away from the glass and moisture in the recycling, making these materials easier to recycle while retaining a higher resale value. Splitting the recycling into two separate containers is also shown to reduce overall contamination of the recycling compared with co-mingled collections.
Through this approach, Suffolk has the potential to divert over 58% of waste from rubbish bins to other recycling and organic waste collections. On this basis, and to encourage improved recycling habits, the report which councillors will also consider proposes to reduce the collection of non-recyclable waste from fortnightly to once every three weeks.
East Suffolk’s Cabinet will sit on 3 September, with Suffolk’s other district and borough councils considering their own proposals in due course, reflecting the necessity to meet Government legislation requirements and improve recycling figures.
Cllr Sally Noble, East Suffolk’s Cabinet Member for the Environment said:
“Government legislation through the Environment Act 2021, requires all local authorities to meet new recycling requirements by 2026, and while this presents a challenge to local authorities and to households, it also provides an incredible and unmissable opportunity to take a big step forward.
“By introducing a twin stream recycling and three-weekly waste collection service, communities can greatly increase recycling rates and reduce the waste which is unnecessarily disposed of. Councils around the country have already successfully adopted this approach and, if approved, these proposals will make it simpler to recycle a wide range of products, bringing huge environmental benefits.
“Additionally, while a three-weekly collection of non-recyclable waste would reduce the frequency that this bin is collected, the new service, alongside the weekly collection of food waste, would actually increase the combined bin capacity each household receives.
“In short, this refreshed approach offers a once in a generation opportunity to make huge recycling improvements - but it would not lead to an overall reduction in the quantities collected from households.”
Once final decisions are made, it is the intention of all district and borough council in the county to engage with the Suffolk Waste Partnership regarding an implementation programme; and to deliver a comprehensive public engagement and communications campaign to inform and explain the changes to residents.