Suffolk Coastal is offering some of the unwanted brown bins to local charities and good causes.

Phase one of delivering the new green garden waste bins to homes in Suffolk Coastal has been completed (although we are continuing to deliver them to people who signed up after 26 August).

And the process of collecting all unwanted brown bins is well underway.

All homes in the district, irrespective of whether they have joined Suffolk Coastal’s Garden Waste Scheme, have been given the option of keeping their old brown bin(s).

But the council has arranged for the unwanted bins to be collected and taken away by a contractor, with the vast majority of them being ‘recycled’ by being sold on to local authorities elsewhere.

However, 500 of the brown bins are being collected by our partners at Suffolk Coastal Norse, then made available to local charities, businesses or individuals, if they have a use for them.

“The delivery of the new, larger green bins to those in the Garden Waste Scheme, then the collection of all the unwanted brown bins from across the district, is a huge logistical exercise,” explained the Leader of Suffolk Coastal District Council, Cllr Ray Herring.

“We don’t know how many households want to keep their brown bins for repurposing and how many will need to be removed. Therefore, it is hard to set a timescale for the operation, but we estimate that around 40,000 unwanted brown bins will be removed over a six week period.”

“We have now been approached by some local charities, who have requested that they be given some of the old brown bins, for them to repurpose for other uses. For example, one animal charity wants to use some of them to store feed and bedding, as the bins are water-proof and have lids, so it keeps out any vermin, as well as the weather!”

“We obviously want to do what we can to support local charities and good causes, so have earmarked 500 for redistribution locally and are asking people who have a use for them to contact us direct, so we can arrange to help them.”

The process is being managed by Suffolk Coastal Norse, which is collecting, cleaning and storing the unwanted brown bins at its depot at Ufford Park.

The 500 bins will be given on a first-come, first-served basis to charities, businesses and individuals in Suffolk Coastal.

A maximum of 10 bins are being made available to each charity or business, with individuals being allowed 2 bins each. Those wanting the bins must be able to pick up from the Ufford Park depot at an agreed appointment time.

Anyone wanting to take advantage of this offer should contact Suffolk Coastal Norse Customer Services on Telephone: 01394 444000 or Email: SCS@ncsgrp.co.uk

The offer will run until Friday, 21 December 2018.

No payment is required. However, people may make a voluntary donation to Suffolk Coastal District Council’s Chairman’s Charity.

The Suffolk Coastal Garden Waste Scheme went live in May and some 33,000 households (or about 57% of homes) have signed up. Of these, 80% opted to get the new larger green bins.

It’s Not Too Late to Join Up!

It is never too late to join the Garden Waste Scheme and still get 12 months worth of collections. It is quick and easy to sign up. You can:

• Go online at my.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/MyServices. You will need to register, or login to, your My Eastsuffolk account and then complete the form for garden waste
• Call Customer Services on 01394 383 789, and choose option ‘0’
• Or, pop in to see our Customer Service staff in the Customer Service Centre in Felixstowe and Woodbridge Library

You will need a debit or credit card to pay. The fee for each bin is £43 for a year (the equivalent of paying about £1.65 per fortnightly collection). You can place your order now and don’t forget to say ‘YES’ to the upgrade.

If you are already a member of the scheme and haven’t opted in yet, you can still change your mind. We will continue to provide the upgrade bins, free of charge, to anyone who is eligible, even after the autumn rollout.