Recycling collection

The recycling collection allows households to dispose of accepted items made from glass, plastic, or metal.

The items need to be placed into the blue or blue-lidded recycling bin for collection.

Recycling is collected on a three-weekly schedule - check your collection day and schedule

Items put into the blue or blue-lidded recycling bin must be:

• empty – no contents left on or inside the items
• clean and dry – a quick rinse will usually be enough to clean most items, and remove bits of leftover food
• loose – don’t bag the items that go in the bin

Labels, lids, and nozzles can be left on the items.

Only put the following items in the blue or blue-lidded recycling bin:

Glass

• bottles
•  jars

Plastics

• bottles
• bubble wrap
• carrier bags
• chocolate tubs (e.g. Celebrations and Roses tubs)
• cling film
• containers used for bathroom and cleaning products
• film covers/lids (e.g. those on top of fruit punnets, ready meals, and meat trays)
• food bags (e.g. those used for fruit, vegetables, salad, bread, cereal, pasta, rice, and frozen foods)
• food pots, tubs, trays, and punnets
• shipping bags (e.g. DHL mailing bags)
• wrapping film (e.g. those used for multipacks, or around toilet/kitchen rolls, cheese, junk mail, and magazines)

Metal

• aerosol cans
• aluminium/tin foil
• biscuit tins
• blister packs (pills/medicine) where the entire pack is made from aluminium foil
• drink cans
• foil trays
• food tins
• tubes (e.g. tomato puree)

Cartons (Tetra Pak)

• drink cartons
• milk cartons
• sauce cartons
• soup cartons

If an item is not listed above, please keep it out of the recycling bin.

If a bin contains a non-accepted item, it will not be emptied.

Never put the following items in the blue or blue-lidded recycling bin:

• audio and video tapes (both the cassette and case)
• baking/greaseproof paper
• balloons (latex or foil)
• batteries
• bedding
• biscuit wrappers
• blister packs (pills/medicine) which are made of aluminium foil with a plastic backing
• card
• CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays (both the disc and case)
• chocolate bar wrappers
• clothes and shoes 
• coffee pods
• compostable packaging
• cotton wool
• crisp packets
• crockery
• cutlery (metal, plastic, or wooden)
• electrical items
• expanded foam netting (e.g. the type used for individual fruit)
• face masks
• foam
• foiled lined packaging
• foil pouches
• food and drink pouches
• gas bottles and cylinders
• glassware/Pyrex (e.g. drinking glasses, bowls, jugs, or vases)
• hard plastics, such as toys, plant pots, buckets, boxes, and coat hangers
• Hessian/burlap type bags or sacks
• hose pipes
• inhalers
• ink/printer cartridges
• items that are smaller than 5cm, such as loose bottle tops
• laminated foil bags (e.g. coffee bags)
• laminated paper
• lolly sticks
• metal pots, pans, and trays
• mirrors
• nappies
• netting (e.g. those used for fruit)
• paper
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• pet food pouches
• photographs
• plastic storage containers (e.g. Tupperware)
• polystyrene
• porcelain and china
• razors
• sheet glass (e.g. windows and fish tanks)
• silicone
• strapping around carboard boxes
• sweet and chocolate wrappers
• textiles and fabrics
• thermos flasks
• tissues and kitchen roll
• toothpaste tubes
• tubes used for cosmetics and sun creams
• tyres
• vapes/e-cigarettes
• vinyl records
• water filters
• wipes (e.g. baby, cosmetics, cleaning, and toilet wipes)
• wood, or any items made of, or containing, wood

You may wish to keep the extra waste safe, and put it into the bin once empty.

Recycling can also be taken to a Suffolk Recycling Centre

Extra household recycling that can't fit into the recycling bin can be put into any clear, see-through sack. Clear sacks can also be purchased from our sack stockists. Place the clear, see-through sacks by the blue or blue-lidded bin on your recycling collection day. Sacks must be able to be easily lifted and tied at the top, to prevent being overfilled.

If your recycling bin is often full before collection day, you can request an additional or larger blue-lidded bin

Please note that any recycling left by the bin in non clear, see-through sacks, such as black bags, will not be collected.

Recycling is taken to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Great Blakenham.

At the facility, the items go through a process where they are sorted, separated and baled. The materials are then sent to companies who can recycle them.

To find out more, please visit the Suffolk Recycles website