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West Suffolk bin collection days

West Suffolk collects its bins on four different timetables, so the rubbish bin is no longer the one to plan around. Since the Better Recycling service began in June 2026, food waste goes out every week, the black bin every two weeks, and the new green-lidded bin for paper and card and the blue bin for everything else recyclable only every four weeks. Garden waste is a separate paid bin, emptied fortnightly.

Last checked against 7 sources (www.westsuffolk.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Waste that cannot be recycled
  • Bagged animal waste
  • Bagged vacuum contents
  • Nappies
  • Soiled fast food containers

Not in this one

  • Batteries, vapes and other items with an internal battery
  • Electrical items
  • Paint
  • Asbestos
  • Hazardous items

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green-lidded bin · Paper and card

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Letters, envelopes and other paper, including shredded paper
  • Cardboard
  • Newspapers, magazines and books
  • Cardboard egg boxes and punnets

Not in this one

  • Dirty food wrappers
  • Other recyclables, which go in the blue bin
  • Dirty or wet card, which the crew cannot take

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue bin · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Clean foil trays and drinks cans
  • Cartons, including Tetra Pak
  • Plastic bottles, clean pots, tubs and trays
  • Carrier bags and bubble wrap
  • Empty food bags such as cereal, pasta, salad and frozen chip bags
  • Tin foil

Not in this one

  • Batteries, electrical items, paint, asbestos and hazardous items
  • Polystyrene
  • Dirty items
  • Recycling tied up inside bags

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Grey food caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Leftover food, plate scrapings and peelings
  • Meat and fish, including bones
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Bread, pasta and rice
  • Eggshells and dairy products
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Pet food

Not in this one

  • Windfall fruit, which goes in the garden waste bin or to a recycling centre
  • Packaging, bags and polystyrene

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Brown garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Dead plants and flowers
  • Grass, leaves and weeds, except controlled weeds such as Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed
  • Hedge clippings
  • Prunings and twigs
  • Clean sawdust without pet waste
  • Small branches less than 6cm thick
  • Vegetable waste from the garden
  • Windfall fruit

Not in this one

  • Kitchen food waste
  • Batteries, electrical items, paint, asbestos and hazardous items
  • Waste in bags

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check West Suffolk addresses yet

Live bin day lookups for West Suffolk are planned. Until then, West Suffolk’s own page will show your collection day.

Find my bin day on www.westsuffolk.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for West Suffolk
BinCollected
Black bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Green-lidded bin · Paper and cardEvery four weeks
Blue bin · Mixed recyclingEvery four weeks
Grey food caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Brown garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

West Suffolk collects food waste every week. West Suffolk collects food waste every week. Under its Better Recycling service, which launched in June 2026 in response to the Simpler Recycling rules, most households got a 23-litre outdoor food caddy, a 5-litre kitchen caddy and a second 240-litre bin with a green lid for paper and card. Only the large caddy goes out for collection.

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The garden waste page the council publishes does not state the 2026/27 price as of 3 October 2026; it sends you to an online subscription page. It says the service runs from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027, that a bin is not emptied after 31 May 2026 unless the 2026/27 subscription is paid, that you can say whether you need a bin when you apply, and that the council aims to deliver bins within four weeks. Garden waste is collected once every two weeks, from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027. Your brown bin day may differ from your black and blue bin day. The council recommends direct debit because the subscription renews automatically each year unless cancelled.

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

Check the council's delayed collections list first: if your road is on it, leave the bin out and do not report. Otherwise use the online form after checking that your bin was out by 6am, that the day has not moved for a bank holiday, that other bins in your street were emptied, that your house name or number is on the bin and that the right waste was in the right bin. The council does not return for contaminated bins, and it does not normally return for a missed blue bin, but it can send blue sacks. Unemptied bins can be reported from 4.15pm on the day of collection and must be reported within two working days.

Source: www.westsuffolk.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Your nearest tip

Good to know in West Suffolk

  • Every bin is collected from the same collection point and must be out by 6am on collection day with the lid fully closed. A wheeled bin with an open or ajar lid will not be collected.
  • The blue bin now takes glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, clean pots, tubs and trays, carrier bags, bubble wrap, cartons, cans, foil trays and empty food bags. Paper and card go in the green-lidded bin instead. Keep both clean and dry, and put recycling in loose rather than bagged.
  • A blue bin that does not fit a four-week stretch can be topped up with council-issued blue sacks, up to four of which are collected. Extra clean, dry cardboard may go in a box beside the green-lidded bin, but it will be left if it is wet or dirty.
  • The council inspects recycling bins before emptying them. A contaminated bin gets a sticker or tag and is not emptied or returned to, and you have to wait for the next scheduled collection or use a recycling centre. Between April and June 2026 the most common faults were bagged items and polystyrene in blue bins, and hard plastic and glass in green-lidded bins.
  • Anything with a battery inside, such as a vape, belongs at a recycling centre. Small electricals without a battery can go in the 18 collection banks at mini recycling points, and loose household batteries go to supermarket or recycling centre drop-off points.
  • If you have not received your green-lidded bin or food caddies, the council says to put clean paper and card in a cardboard box at your collection point on green-lid day, or in the blue bin if you cannot store it. Use the black bin or home composting for food until the caddies arrive.
  • Bulky collections are booked by phone on 01284 757320 and cost £60 for 1 to 3 items plus £21 for each additional item, paid in advance. The council offers a 50 per cent discount, one collection a year, to people on Council Tax reduction other than single person or student discount. As of 3 October 2026 the pages read gave no dated Christmas collection timetable.

Bin questions in West Suffolk

How often are bins collected in West Suffolk?

Food caddies are collected weekly, black bins every two weeks, and the green-lidded paper and card bin and the blue mixed recycling bin every four weeks. Garden waste is every two weeks for subscribers.

What goes in the blue bin in West Suffolk?

Glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, clean pots, tubs and trays, cartons, cans, foil trays, carrier bags, bubble wrap and empty food bags. Paper and card go in the green-lidded bin.

Does West Suffolk collect food waste?

Yes, every week in a 23-litre outdoor caddy, with a 5-litre kitchen caddy supplied. Windfall fruit does not go in the food caddy.

How much is a bulky waste collection in West Suffolk?

It costs £60 for one to three items and £21 for each additional item, paid in advance and non-refundable. Booking is by phone on 01284 757320.

Who runs the recycling centres in West Suffolk?

Suffolk County Council runs the 11 household waste recycling centres in Suffolk. The district council's page sends you to Suffolk Recycles for opening times and what each site accepts.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils