Replacement bin charges

The Council will be operating from a reduced budget position in the future and has to make significant savings and therefore can no longer afford to provide this service for free. The bin charging policy has been introduced to encourage residents to take responsibility for the bins provided and to reduce demand for replacement bins.

£45. Due to the current financial situation, the Council is under increased pressure to save money. The charges we are introducing will solely cover the cost of the bins and their replacement.

Householders are responsible for looking after their wheelie bins and residents are being encouraged to take steps to keep them safe. If your wheelie bin is lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair a charge may be made for a replacement.

The charge is for the costs of the bins and delivery. It does not cover the sale of the bins to you and the bins remain the property of the Council.

The Council is not making money by charging for wheeled bins, it is only covering its costs, unfortunately the Council can no longer afford to provide this service free of charge. 

No, waste bins are available by delivery only

Please check that it hasn’t been left at a neighbour’s property or further down the street.

We make a charge to replace stolen bins to encourage residents to take responsibility for their bins and to bring them in after they have been emptied.

There are several things you can do to help prevent this occurring:  

• Use a permanent marker to clearly mark your address on your bin 
• Do not place your bin out for collection the night before as this means more time for it to go missing. Bins should be placed outside for collection before 6:00am
• Try and ensure that your bin is brought back in as soon as possible after the collection. Your neighbour may be able to help with this

Payment may be made online through MyIpswich when ordering your replacement bin. Payments by card can be done over the telephone by calling our Customer Services Department on 01473 432000.

Residents can provide their own wheeled bins, providing they meet the EN840 standard and they match council bin specification (e.g. colours and current sizes for each type of bin.) as well as including the Ipswich Borough Council logo.

The Council has a legal requirement under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) to collect household waste. Section 46 says that the local authority can define the kind of bin to be used and require the occupier to pay for it.

Residents who decline to pay for the supply of a waste bin may be served with a Section 46 notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and or other relevant legislation. The notice will require the provision by the householder of the necessary bins for their waste. Failure to comply with this notice may lead to the issuing of a fixed penalty notice and or prosecution by the council, if the resident puts rubbish out in an unauthorised bin.

Residents may prefer to dispose of their rubbish themselves and can take their rubbish to a household waste recycling centre, rather than pay for a replacement bin. 

If a bin is damaged and the fault lies with the Council’s collection crew, this will be recorded and a new bin will be delivered free of charge. A note will be posted through your letter box to advise you this has happened. This excludes any damage caused by overfilling the bin, placing inappropriate items in it or reasonable wear and tear.

Yes, you will have to pay. If you rent your house from a private or social landlord you should approach them to pay for your bins. You may need to read your tenancy agreement to see if this is mentioned.

In order to make your bins as secure as possible when delivered, you can specify whereabouts on your property you would like the bins to be left.

Unless the damage has been done by our collection crews and reported, please contact Customer Services using the Request a repair or replacement bin form on MyIpswich to report your damaged bin. We will attempt to repair the lid and/or wheels, however, in the event of this not being possible due to more serious damage having been caused to the bin, we will contact you and you will then be required to pay the replacement charge should you wish to replace your bin.

If you move house, the bins will need to remain at the property you are moving from. You should check on the property you are moving to and ensure bins are in place if they are not you should discuss this with your new landlord or seller of the property.

Yes. The charge applies to black refuse bins, garden waste bins and recycling bins. The charge will apply to each replacement bin which you request. 

Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide a replacement or additional bin before payment has been received and you will need to dispose your waste legally in the interim.

Unfortunately, we cannot take part payment and a bin can only be delivered once the full payment has been received.

All collection crews must return bins after emptying to the place the bin was collected from. Please ensure that you clearly number your bins to avoid this going missing and to help both you and crews to identify which address the bin ‘belongs’ to.

You must try to retrieve your bin by firstly speaking to your neighbour and if unsuccessful contact the Police because this is classed as theft (under the Theft Act which the Police, and not the council, enforce).

Yes, you will still be required to pay the charge for the bin, please ensure that you are not overfilling your bin resulting in this splitting.

This waste will not be collected by the crews and this may lead to prosecution and this waste will be investigated by our staff.

You will be served with a Section 46 notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and or other relevant legislation. The notice will require the provision by the householder of the necessary bins for their waste.

Failure to comply with this notice may lead to the issuing of a fixed penalty notice and or prosecution by the Council.

Refuse, especially food waste, placed out in sacks is much more likely to attract rats and dumping of rubbish, which will affect your neighbours as well as you.