Has Suffolk's new bin rollout been a success?

For some, change is a positive and marks the start of a new beginning. For others, it is unsettling and signifies a looming period of uncertainty.

The idea of it, therefore, is divisive - something which has been all too proven this week with the introduction of new rubbish collections across Suffolk.

As part of the government's decision to simplify recycling in England, households must now separate glass, metal, plastic, paper, card and food and garden waste.

Depending on where you live in the county, you may have been sent new bins and the days on which your waste and recycling is collected may also have been altered.

It goes without saying, therefore, that this new way of carrying out the once simple yet laborious task of popping your bins out each week will take some getting used.

So, how has the first week gone and what do residents make of the changes?

Danny Dorling, 52, of Carlton Colville, said he did not support the new approach and, at the time of speaking to the BBC, was still waiting for his new bins to be delivered.

"It's not been a great start, I [don't like] the sheer volume of bins we need to use and its totally confusing as to what goes in where," he said.

"How are the elderly supposed to manage this? I fully understand the reasons behind it, but they did something similar a few years ago with food bins and it did not work."

Vicki Pyett, 46, from Ipswich, said she was "all for recycling", but also questioned the need for so many different bins and hard to keep up with.

"It's going to take some time to get used to and there are going to be teething problems, but my front garden looks like a bin factory," she said.

"I just don't understand why our council tax has gone up but we're doing half the job for them? And how long before people's food caddies are nicked?

"We have leaflets stuck to the kitchen wall so that we know what goes where and what days what bins are being collected. It has its pros and cons, I suppose."

Charlotte Cracknell, in Knodishall, near Leiston, however, said "it's not as complicated as you think", although she did have a little wait for her new bins.

"It was like a mirage actually when they were coming up the drive, it was like, 'Oh gosh my bins are actually here," she said.

"They are taking up lots of space, all lined up outside my garage, but they are here and at least I can now start planning.

"Some people are worried about maggots in the food bins but, in reality, you had them in your general waste bin anyway. So that doesn't faze me."

Another resident, from Kesgrave, said her street's food waste bins had not been collected.

"We are in a cul-de-sac so all the houses put their bins in this one area, so there are 12 food bins waiting to be picked up, so you can imagine the smell," she said.

"It has just not been thought through. It is absolutely crazy – it is a shambles."

Households should now have three bins and two smaller food caddies.

They may also have a brown or green bin for garden waste, if they have opted to pay the accompanying additional charge.

The all-blue bin, or black bin with a blue lid, will be used for cartons, plastic film, metal food and drink cans, and plastic pots.

The black bin with a green lid, meanwhile, is specifically for cardboard, paper, shredded paper and books.

The last of the free-to-collect large waste bins is the one with the grey or black lid, which is for normal household waste bin - so everything which can't go in the recycling bins and which is not food waste, which is put in the two grey caddies.

While week one may have encountered a few issues, the county's local authorities stress that completely overhauling rubbish collections is no mean feat.

East Suffolk Council described it as an "enormous logistical operation" and said more than 400,000 new containers had already been delivered to households.

It did admit, however, that not all scheduled collections had taken place.

"This is an entirely new service, utilising different collection vehicles and new technology," a spokesperson said.

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to complete all food waste collections this week, and those households which have been missed will be prioritised next week.

"So, while the other waste streams are running at 100% collection rate, this particular element is taking a little longer to bed in despite our teams' best efforts."

A spokesperson for Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils said the rollout was "obviously a massive challenge" and there would be a "transition period for both crews and residents".

But it added that the first week had gone well, with all scheduled large bin collections carried out on schedule, apart from where there were issues beyond its control.

"We're now collecting over 200,000 bins per week across, over 100,000 green lid, blue lid or general waste bins, and over 100,000 food waste bins," the spokesperson said.

"Our new food waste collection crews have managed to complete over 90% of their collections, with our crews generally catching up any missed the following day.

"In terms of delivery of new bins, a comparatively small number of households in our districts are still to receive their new bins but should receive them within the coming days."

Stefan Long, Ipswich Borough Council's portfolio holder for environment and sport, said the new recycling scheme was a "significant change" but he was "really encouraged by how positively" people had responded.

"While there may be some early adjustments as everyone gets get used to the new system, we're confident it will deliver real environmental benefits for our town," he said.

"It's already making a real difference by helping households reduce what goes into their black bins and recycle more effectively.

"This is a major step forward for Ipswich and will play an important role in improving the town's recycling rates and reducing our environmental impact."

West Suffolk Council said it had delivered nearly 240,000 green-lidded bins and caddies to 80,000 households, but it acknowledged some were still waiting, for which it said it was “sorry” and “working hard” to resolve.

Dave Taylor, cabinet member for operations at the council, added that the new recycling scheme was “the biggest change to recycling and waste collections in more than 20 years”.

“As with any major change we know it will take time for everyone to adjust, however we want to thank our residents and communities who have embraced the change that will help us increase our recycling rates and reduce general waste,” he said.

“It is early days, but we are pleased that in the first five days we collected 77,000 kg of food waste.

“This was always going to be a huge logistical operation.”

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