Residents without new bins days before changes

Some Suffolk residents have reported not receiving new bins just days before councils aim to have a new recycling regime in place.

The government introduced new waste and recycling rules from 31 March, but Suffolk's councils missed this official deadline, instead aiming for 1 June.

Despite this date looming, some people in parts of East Suffolk and other areas have told the BBC they are yet to receive their food and recycling bins.

The councils have urged those missing bins to get in touch with their respective waste teams.

The government implemented a Simpler Recycling initiative to standardise what can be recycled across the country.

In Suffolk, it means new weekly food waste collection services as well as an additional bin to separate card and paper from other recycled waste.

But all the county's local authorities were among almost a quarter of councils across England that missed the government's deadline.

Instead they felt 1 June would give them enough time to introduce the changes.

At the Suffolk Show at Trinity Park near Ipswich on Wednesday, Terry Friend from Leiston told the BBC he had not received his bins yet, but had seen some people in the area with them.

"If we're going to have all these new bins and they're going to be starting on 1 June, that's on Monday, but what are we doing with the rubbish and have we got to sort it into the different bins when we do get them?" he said.

"It takes a lot of planning, but they should have thought of this a lot earlier and got the bins out a lot sooner."

John Snowdon lives near Waldringfield and similarly said some areas near to him had received their bins, but not where he is.

"I'm not worried in the slightest," he said.

"It's certainly a lot better than tipping everything in the bin and hoping that you've got it right."

He added that he received "plenty" of literature through the post to help him understand the changes and the reasons why.

Sarah, who did not want her surname included, lives in Grundisburgh Corner and does not yet have her bins.

But she said she was not concerned.

"I'm just going to continue as I do until I'm told otherwise," she added.

She also said the prospect of being able to include glass in one of her bins was "really helpful".

"I think the recycling seems better," she continued.

"I worry a bit about the length of collection because in the summer heat, everything's filling up and our bin does have maggots in it on a regular basis, even after two weeks.

"I'm not looking forward to that.

"I understand why people want to change it, we'll see how it goes."

Jill Badman, who lives in Woodbridge, and her sister Claire Thompson, who lives in West Suffolk, shared their thoughts on the changes.

"I think if you've the space to put [the bins] in, which luckily we do, it's fine," Thompson said.

"But if you live in a terraced house then that might cause issues, but at the moment I'm getting to grips with it all, what goes in what bin... we'll have to get there, it's what we have to do."

Badman said she felt the changes in principle were good, but said they had not been dealt with "terribly well".

"They've sent out far too much paperwork, which every single time is slightly different [about what goes in which bin].

"The best thing they could have done and they haven't is produce sticky labels to go on the top of each bin with a picture to show you what goes in that bin," she said.

"If they'd have done that they could have got rid of most of the paperwork and save some trees."

Paul Ashton, cabinet member for operations at East Suffolk Council, said it had been a "complex process" delivering about 400,000 new bins to more than 120,000 households.

"We expect deliveries to be completed on Monday – however, given the size of this task, we appreciate that there will be some 'snagging', and we will be required to return to locations where some properties have been inadvertently missed," he added.

"However, we anticipate this number to be in the hundreds, with far more than 99% of properties receiving their new containers before the service gets under way."

The BBC approached the other councils throughout the county to ask for an update on their rollout ahead of Monday.

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council, where the BBC has also been told some residents have not yet received bins, said it had to deliver 93,000 bins and 180,000 food caddies.

A spokesperson said it was a "huge logistical project" and therefore it was expected there still may be some households without bins.

Dave Taylor, cabinet member for operations at West Suffolk Council, said it had delivered more than 80,000 bins and 160,000 food caddies.

"This has been a major logistical operation, so deliveries have taken place in stages using a contractor and our own waste crews," he said.

"We are aware that some residents have not received their bins; and we are delivering any missed bins that have been reported."

Ipswich Borough Council said more than 200,000 new containers for 68,000 properties had been delivered.

"Once residents have had their recycling collected this week, they can start using their new recycling containers straight away," they added.

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