Plea to improve 'bin etiquette' after rise in household waste
Councillor James Mallinder, East Suffolk Council's cabinet member for the environment. - Credit: Andrew Kahumbu
Residents in east Suffolk have been urged to improve their "bin etiquette" after a rise in household waste during the coronavirus pandemic.
East Suffolk Council have encouraged residents to follow bin guidelines to help refuse teams provide an efficient, essential service.
The guidelines include leaving bins at the boundary of your property by 6am on collection day, recycle items where possible and to ensure bins are returned as soon as possible after collections to prevent obstructions.
Residents have also been asked not to overfill the bins as this can prevent them being emptied.
Councillor James Mallinder, cabinet member for the environment, said: "With more people spending time at home due to national restrictions, we're seeing more household waste than ever before, putting added pressure on our refuse teams.
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"Unfortunately, we're also seeing an increase in bad bin etiquettes, which can not only prevent the refuse team from collecting waste, but be a nuisance to neighbours and obstruct footpaths.
"Our refuse teams are working extremely hard under very difficult circumstances, so it is very important that we all do our bit to help them provide this essential service that we're all relying on more than ever and there are some very simple guidelines we can all follow to do so."
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The Suffolk Waste Partnership has also produced a new recycling leaflet which is being distributed to households to try and reduce the number of spoiled recycling bins.
Mr Mallinder said: "The majority of households in east Suffolk are good at recycling, but as we continue to deal with the challenges of climate change, there is still a lot more we need to do to ensure we're recycling the right items.
"Confusion can cause spoiled bins, so we are determined to help households reduce the amount of wrong items they put in their recycling bins by making sure they know what can and cannot be recycled.
"This is important because there is a threshold of how much spoiled waste a truck load can have before it is rejected.
"We all have a role to play in making better decisions for the sake of our environment.
"By thinking about how we dispose of our waste and making the right decisions, we all contribute to a solution."
