Households across East Suffolk will have a separate weekly food waste collection from 2026, it has been announced.
The plans, revealed by East Suffolk Council earlier this month, are mandated under the government’s Simpler Recycling rules.
Councillor Caroline Topping, the Green Leader of East Suffolk Council, said: "We are introducing this scheme because the Conservative Government says we must. However, because we have a Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent Administration at East Suffolk Council, our number one priority will be a holistic approach to food waste reduction and collection, which puts our communities and the environment first."
What did our readers have to say?
Anne Jessup from Bawdsey said: “Great! It's not hard to put food waste in a separate bin, you just need to get into the habit when preparing food or scraping the plates before washing up. Hope they have a good plan for using the waste - composting or energy generation.”
Likewise, Vernon Robson from Lowestoft said: “Brilliant idea. Most of it can be turned to compost and sold back to the public to recover some cost. We had it when we lived in Cambridgeshire and it was a big success.”
John Barker from Carlton Colville said: “Good idea, but it’s not a new concept. We had a similar system in place in Essex 10 years ago. I assume we will have to use biodegradable bags. If so, will the council provide the bags, or will we have to buy our own? If it’s the latter, you will have problems, as they are far more expensive than standard bags.”
Frances Polley from Felixstowe said: “It's a good idea everyone should try to help the environment as it will benefit all of us and future generations.”
But others were less convinced of the idea.
Maureen Barrett from Lowestoft said: “No! We have enough bins!!!!”
Dr Alison Parish, from Woodbridge, said: “They do not appear to have taken into account that some people live in cottages with very little outside space for more bins or have little spare kitchen space to safely put an inside bin.”
East Suffolk Council, which a group of Green, Liberal Democrat, and Independent councillors won from the Conservatives last year, will receive £2.4m from the government’s New Burdens Funding to cover the cost of purchasing an additional 40 bin lorries and containers.
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