An extra recycling bin is set to be delivered to east Suffolk's 117,000 homes as part of plans to revamp waste collections, which will see rubbish bins cleared every three weeks, instead of the current two.

East Suffolk Council's cabinet is due to decide next Tuesday (September 3) whether to make the changes after the Government legislated for council waste and recycling services to be aligned, which is set to increase the volume of products for household recycling.

The scheme is set to be adopted by district and borough councils across Suffolk, with figures suggesting that 58% of rubbish currently poured into waste bins could be diverted to other recycling and organic waste collections.

READ MORE: Weekly food waste collections for households in east Suffolk

If approved, there will be a "twin stream" approach to collections, with households receiving an extra wheelie bin or container, in which paper and card can be deposited to separate these items from plastics, metal, cartons, glass bottles and jars.

This approach is set to reduce the amount of processing at recycling plants, while keeping paper and card away from glass and moisture will make the materials easier to recycle while maintaining a higher resale value.

In addition, separating the recycling into two separate containers has been shown to reduce overall contamination of the recycling.

However, as part of the scheme a new weekly food waste collection will be introduced in the spring of 2026, with households having four wheelie bins, instead of the current three.

READ MORE: Suffolk: Bright pink bins set up for electrical waste

Councillor Sally Noble, the council's cabinet member for the environment, said the proposals represented an "incredible and unmissable" opportunity to improve recycling.

She said: “By introducing a twin stream recycling and three-weekly waste collection service, communities can greatly increase recycling rates and reduce the waste which is unnecessarily disposed of.  

"Councils around the country have already successfully adopted this approach and, if approved, these proposals will make it simpler to recycle a wide range of products, bringing huge environmental benefits.

READ MORE: Suffolk news

“Additionally, while a three-weekly collection of non-recyclable waste would reduce the frequency that this bin is collected, the new service, alongside the weekly collection of food waste, would actually increase the combined bin capacity each household receives.

“In short, this refreshed approach offers a once in a generation opportunity to make huge recycling improvements - but it would not lead to an overall reduction in the quantities collected from households.”

However, councillor James Mallinder, cabinet member for the environment under the previous Tory administration, questioned whether the council would be reducing its carbon footprint by delivering more bins, which he said would like "unsightly" in Victorian era roads.

He added: "The proposed three week collection of residual waste – the black bag collection - is not acceptable.

"Not only in the summer months will it lead to smells and encourage vermin, we will clearly see a knock-on effect of residents using pavement bins and frankly just fly-tipping waste and the Conservatives are asking the council to think again from changing the collection from every two weeks to every three."