Refuse collection

The refuse (general rubbish) collection allows households to dispose of the majority of household waste that is not accepted in the recycling, paper and card, or food waste bins.

The items need to be placed into the black refuse bin for collection.

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

Loose materials, such as vacuum dust, sweepings and ash, must be wrapped/bagged and tied up, before being put into the refuse bin.

Please make sure that any pet or human waste is bagged and tied up before putting it in the refuse bin.

You can put the following items in the black refuse (general rubbish) bin:

• animal waste
• ash
• crisp packets
• incontinence related waste
• items that contain remnants of food waste, oil, or grease (e.g. soiled fast-food containers)
• nappies
• pet bedding
• polystyrene
• sanitary items
• vacuum dust and sweepings

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

Never put the following items in the black refuse bin:

• batteries
• clinical waste, including needles/sharps
• DIY waste, building materials, bricks, tiles, hardcore, rubble and soil
• electrical items
• garden waste
• hazardous waste, including asbestos
• large bulky items, such as furniture
• liquids or drinks
• tyres
• vapes/e-cigarettes

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

Refuse can also be taken to a Suffolk Recycling Centre

Authorised orange council sacks can be purchased from our sack stockists to dispose of extra household refuse. For more information, please visit our authorised council sacks and stockists webpage

Visit the Suffolk Recycles website for useful information on how to reduce and reuse your waste.

If your refuse bin is often full before collection day, you can see if you are eligible for an additional or larger black bin

If extra waste is produced due to a medical condition, for example incontinence, please instead see how we can assist with the collection of clinical and medical waste

Please note that any waste left by the bin in non-authorised council orange refuse sacks, such as black bags, will not be collected.

We do not send any waste to landfill.

Refuse (general rubbish) is taken to the Energy from Waste Facility in Great Blakenham.

At the facility, refuse is burned at high temperatures and used to generate electricity for over 40,000 homes.

To find out more, please visit the Suffolk Recycles website

The following advice may help you keep the refuse bin clean, and reduce smells:

• Clean and rinse bins out regularly, using disinfectant, or warm soapy water. If you don't want to clean the bins yourself, you may want to contact a professional bin cleaner in your area
• Put all food waste into your food waste bin, which is emptied weekly
• Squeeze all the air out of bags, and tie them up securely, before putting in the bin. The lack of air will slow down general decomposition, reduce smells and leakage, and slow the development of maggots
• Place sheets of newspaper at the bottom of the bin, to keep it dry. The paper will soak up any liquids that may escape from the bags
• Try to keep the bin in a shady area. Heat from the sun will warm up the bin, which will increase the smell and attract flies
• Keep the lid of the bin closed, to prevent animals and flies getting in
• Report damaged bins so that we can repair or replace them

Additional advice for nappies and incontinence waste:

• Where possible, put any human waste from nappies and incontinence items down the toilet
• Double-bag all nappies and incontinence items before placing them in the bin 
• Consider using scented sacks, or bin fresheners, for an extra layer of odour control
• Clean and disinfect the bin more frequently