A motion calling for garden waste charges to be scrapped and weekly household food waste collections introduced is set to be put forward in Babergh in January.
Babergh District Council’s Labour group in November launched its Keep Babergh Tidy campaign, which aimed to create a series of green measures to be put forward as motions to the full council meetings.
The group last month called for an end to single-use plastics by the end of 2019, and explore the options for on-street recycling bins in Hadleigh and Sudbury.
Now, in its second motion, Labour is calling on the council to introduce weekly household food waste collections and axe the £55 annual fee for collection of garden waste services.
Luke Cresswell, who put forward the motion, said: “In recent years, Babergh has focused too much on restructuring the council and not enough on providing good basic services to the public.
“The government has recently recommended councils do what we are proposing in this motion.
“Labour run Ipswich council is the only council in the whole of Suffolk to provide free garden waste bins and we want Babergh to follow their lead in this.”
He added: “It is also important that we start recycling food waste because it has a big impact on the environment as it rots and releases methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
“We need to start dealing with food waste properly and positively.”
Mr Cresswell proposed that a “waste caddy” system could be used, which would be a separate smaller bin that can be attached to the blue or black wheely bins collected by refuse crews.
Food waste collected could then be turned into fertiliser.
Conservative councillor John Ward, Babergh District Council leader, said: “His motion to eliminate single-use plastics earlier this month covers many things that Babergh is already doing, and now with this latest motion he is highlighting a couple of things in the Conservative government’s recently published National Resources and Waste Strategy.
“I would, however, urge some caution regarding making the brown bins free. Not everyone uses or needs this service and it is right that those who do should pay for it: it is extremely popular and it is self-financing.
“I would be very interested to see how Cllr Cresswell would pay for a free service when we have to account for every penny to maintain a balanced budget. He needs to let us know either what service he would cut or where he would impose new charges so that free brown bins could be afforded.
“Finally, we have restructured the council so that we can continue provide good services: I am proud to say that during this Conservative administration we have not cut any services and many have been improved or extended.”
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