What is changing?
A new weekly food waste collection service is being launched to help residents safely dispose of expired and unusable food items.
We're also expanding our recycling options to include glass and cartons (such as Tetra Pak), which can now be placed in your recycling bin.
To support better waste separation, household will receive an extra wheelie bin or container. This will be used to sort paper and card separately from plastics, metals, cartons (including Tetra Pak), and glass bottles or jars.
This new bin will complement the weekly food waste collection, making recycling easier and more efficient for everyone.
What collections will I have?
Households will be provided with four collection services as standard:
- a two-weekly refuse (general rubbish) collection
- a two-weekly alternate recycling collection for glass, plastics, metal and cartons
- a two-weekly alternate paper and card collection
- a weekly food waste collection
Below is an example of the new two alternative weekly collection schedule:
| Collection type | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|
Refuse (general rubbish) |
||||
|
Recycling Glass, plastics, metal and cartons |
||||
| Paper and card | ||||
| Food waste |
When will the changes happen?
The new service will be live on 1st June 2026.
What extra bins will I receive?
Most households will receive one extra recycling bin. This will mean that you will have one blue bin for glass, plastics, metal and cartons. Plus, one green lidded bin for paper and card.
Households will also receive two food waste containers. One will be a lockable 23 litre food waste bin to leave outside for collection. The other is a smaller 5 litre caddy for use in the kitchen.
What can I put in my new food waste containers?
- leftover food, plate scrapings and peelings
- meat and fish (including bones)
- tea bags and coffee grounds
- bread, pasta and rice
- eggshells
- dairy products
- fruit and vegetables
- leftover pet food
Will garden waste collections be changing?
No.
Garden waste (brown bin) collections will remain a separate, optional charged for service, with collections continuing fortnightly.
Will my collection day change?
Probably not. We try to avoid changing collection days as we know this can be confusing. However, it is sometimes necessary to do so due to service demands, such as new housing developments.
The food waste bin will be emptied weekly on the same day as your refuse/recycling collection day. Although, the food waste will be collected by separate, dedicated trucks.
WATCH
https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/media/2330/edit
OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What can I currently recycle from home?
Currently, the following items are collected from Ipswich households for recycling:
- paper and card
- plastic bottles
- pots, tubs and trays
- metal food and drinks cans
- aluminium foil
- garden waste (subject to an additional charge)
What is changing from 2026?
The Government is requiring local councils to implement its Better Recycling strategy, which aims to enhance recycling rates and encourage a more consistent national approach to recycling across England. To support the Government’s strategy, as well as the materials we already collect, we’ll also start collecting the following from households directly:
- glass bottles and jars
- cartons e.g. Tetra Pak
- food waste (on a weekly basis)
- plastic film (by April 2027)
How will the new service help?
Two of the most frequent questions we get asked are “why don’t you collect food” or “why don’t you collect glass or cartons”? These changes will ensure all households will be able to recycle or compost more of their household waste.
The changes will also help the environment by increasing Ipswich recycling rate, reducing the amount of waste that goes into our rubbish bins and decreasing the carbon impacts of the Ipswich waste and recycling collection service.
This is all vital in our efforts to combat the climate emergency and promote a circular economy that ensures precious resources can be repeatedly recycled and reused. It will also help Ipswich & the rest of Suffolk play our part in achieving the Government’s aim to recycling or compost 65% of our waste by 2035.
Will I need more bins?
Yes. For food - homes in Ipswich will receive new containers for the weekly collection of food. You will have 2 caddies: a 5 litre one for collecting food waste in your kitchen (small enough to sit on your worktop) and a larger and lockable 23 litre one to store the food outdoors between your weekly collection and put on the pavement to be collected
For recycling – you will receive an additional recycling bin, so that you have a green (or green lidded) as well as your current blue bin. The green bin will be for paper and cardboard and the blue bin for glass, metal tins and cans, cartons and plastic bottles, tubs and trays.
Why is this necessary?
The Government wants to separate fibre recyclables (e.g. paper and cardboard) from other recyclables (plastics, cans, glass, etc). Not only will this ensure we collect a better quality of material, but when compared to the other legally viable collection options considered, this system is also more cost effective. As such, this is best financial outcome for Ipswich taxpayers.
How is this new approach better?
All councils in England will collect the same materials for recycling, which will improve consistency and reduce confusion. It will also make it easier for residents to recycle more things from home.
Why are these changes happening?
Changes are taking place to ensure the Councils can meet new Government legislation (known as Simpler Recycling).
The policy requires all councils to collect a core list of recyclable waste, including providing weekly food waste collections.
This will make sure the same items are collected for recycling no matter where in the country you live. Therefore, help more people recycle and boost national recycling rates.
View the Simpler Recycling Policy on the Government's website ⧉
What will happen to the recycling and food after it gets collected from June 2026?
In many ways, the recycling process will remain the same. The main difference will be that the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), which will be redesigned to separate the glass, cans, cartons and plastics (the materials that will go in the blue recycling bin).
The paper and cardboard (the materials from your green bin) will no longer require separation at the MRF and will instead be bulked up and sent directly to a paper merchant for reprocessing.
Any food waste collected from Suffolk homes will be sent to an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility, where it will create a bio-fertiliser for spreading on farmland, as well as bio-methane which will be used to power vehicles, produce electricity and provide gas to homes and business.
Food waste smells, what impact will this have?
We currently collect food waste as part of your fortnightly black rubbish bin collections.
The new service will provide a separate weekly food waste collection, which will mean it sitting in your bin half the time that it currently does.
The food waste caddy also has a lockable lid to ensure the food waste smells and its content are contained.
What if I don’t have room for extra bins?
As we currently do, we will work with residents to look at alternative solutions, such as using smaller bins, or providing sacks instead.
For clarity, the food waste bin will be 23 litres in size, much smaller than a regular bin.
What about waste collections from flats?
We are currently reviewing bin provision for all flats/communal areas, as well as working with landlords and management companies. This will ensure that sufficient bins are in place ready for when the new collection services start.
Why will there be a separate collection/bin for paper and card?
The new Government policy requires all councils to collect paper and card separate from other recyclable items.
When paper and card are collected along with items like glass and plastics, they can get damaged or contaminated. Therefore, reducing its recycling quality and value.
Keeping paper and card separate means they can be recycled more effectively and are worth more when sold for recycling.
Will I be able to recycle glass from my doorstep?
Yes. By collecting it from your home, we hope to make it easier for residents to recycle even more glass!
What if I already compost my food waste?
That is great to hear. However, it is worth noting that home composting isn’t suitable for all food waste. For example, items like bones, meat, mouldy bread, and pasta are best handled through the food waste collection service.
We also understand that not everyone has the space or ability to compost at home.
Find out more about home composting on the Suffolk Recycles website ⧉, including information on heavily subsidised composting items.
Can I put the food waste into my garden waste bin instead?
No. The garden waste (brown) bins are used for the collection and disposal of garden waste only.
Who is paying for these changes?
The Government is providing some extra funding to help councils set up new recycling and food waste collection services.
They are also introducing new rules that will make the producers of the packaging financially responsible for the materials they put on shop shelves.
This means that in future, producers will help pay for waste and recycling collections, reducing the cost to the taxpayer.
Will I be able to recycle plastic film and bags?
The facility to recycle soft plastics (such as film and bags) at home will be introduced.
Currently these items can be recycled at many supermarkets in the county.
Find your nearest recycling location on the Recycle Now website ⧉
Where can I find more information?
We will continue to share updates as we get closer to the rollout on our website, social media pages and in the local press. Households will be posted information directly too.
Find out more on the Suffolk Recycles' Better Recycling webpage ⧉
Further information
For more information visit Better Recycling - Suffolk Recycling