East Suffolk Council

Missed bin collections

Before reporting that your bin has not been emptied, please ensure the following:

• Collection day and time: Check that you have the correct collection day and that your bin was out by 6:00am. You can find your bin collection dates online.
• Street collection: Check if other bins in your street have been emptied. Or if the street has been impacted by changes or delays to the schedule.
• Correct collection point: Ensure your bin is at the correct collection point.
• Proper waste segregation: Make sure the right waste is in the right bin. If incorrect waste is found, a sticker or notice with instructions will be left on your bin.

Contaminated bins

• Bins containing incorrect items will not be emptied to prevent contamination of the entire vehicle load.
• Crews check recycling bins for non-recyclable items before emptying. If wrong items are found, a sticker will be left on the bin. Residents must remove these items and dispose of them correctly. The bin will then be emptied on the next scheduled collection date.
• We do not return to empty contaminated bins. If you cannot wait until the next collection, please take the waste to your local household waste recycling centre.

Top Contaminants (October-December 2023)

Blue Bin: Bagged items, glass, food or kitchen waste, dirty items, polystyrene.

Garden Waste Bin: Food or kitchen waste, domestic waste, cardboard, bagged items, soil.

No access

• Road Closure: If bins are inaccessible due to a road closure, crews will attempt to return within three working days to empty them.
• Vehicle blocking access to a whole street: If access to a street is blocked, leave your bin out and our crews will attempt a return collection within three working days.
• Vehicle blocking access to an individual premises: If access to your bin was blocked, it will be emptied on the next scheduled collection day if access is clear.

Other reasons

• Bin not out: If you miss a collection and need to dispose of waste before the next scheduled collection, take it to your local recycling centre.
• Side waste: Unauthorised side waste (additional waste not in a sack with the East Suffolk logo) will not be collected. Please take it to your local recycling centre if you cannot wait until the next collection or arrange a bulky waste collection.
• Overweight wheeled bins: Bins that are too heavy to be lifted by collection vehicles will not be emptied. Remove excess waste and take it to your local recycling centre. We cannot return to empty the bin until the next scheduled collection day.
• Compacted waste: Compacted waste may not come out during collection. Crews will try to empty the bin, but if items are stuck, the bin will not be fully emptied. Loosen the contents for the next collection.

Reporting unemptied bins

• Please only report missed bin collections from 3:30pm on the scheduled collection day.
• If a recollection attempt is not possible, sacks can be sent to manage your waste until the next collection.

Report a bin that has not been emptied

If your bin is marked as “not out,” it means it was not presented kerbside or at the agreed location and will not be emptied. Please contact us if you believe there is a location issue.