Fortnightly bin collection to move to three-weekly

East Suffolk's full council has agreed to a number of changes to its waste and recycling collections

A council has agreed to change its general waste collection from fortnightly to once every three weeks in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

During a full meeting of East Suffolk Council on Wednesday evening, members agreed to several changes that it described as "historic".

As well as changes to general waste, it has increased the range and volume of products that can be recycled in line with the law while residents will be supplied with an extra wheelie bin or containers to assist with this.

Sally Noble, member for the environment at the council, said moving to a three-weekly waste collection would save an extra 6,500 tonnes of carbon emissions.

"National targets require us to divert 60% of waste to recycling by 2030 and 65% by 2035," she explained.

"However, recycling performance has plateaued in recent years, with East Suffolk currently diverting only 39%.

"This places us 203rd out of 343 collection authorities in England and Wales.

"The current co-mingled method of collecting recycling in one bin means that a large amount of the paper and card we collect is contaminated by the other items and the ‘twin stream’ method, with an additional recycling bin, will transform the quality of materials for re-use, with huge environmental benefits."

'Storage concerns'

The extra recycling bin or container will allow residents to separate paper and card from plastics, metal, cartons (including Tetra Pak) and glass bottles or jars, according to the council.

Ms Noble said the move would potentially help divert "over 58% of waste from rubbish bins, and encourage improved recycling habits".

The government has also told councils to start weekly food waste collections from 2026 which East Suffolk Council confirmed would happen in the borough.

A council spokesperson added that the changes would have to be implemented by 31 March, 2026.

However the introduction of collections for plastics would be by 31 March, 2027.

Ms Noble said the council was aware some residents were concerned about a lack of space for an extra bin and it would help those with "legitimate storage concerns".

"Additionally, alternative arrangements will be considered for households who may struggle with less frequent waste collections – for example those with medical needs or children in nappies," she added.