[Source: Ipswich Borough Council]
Be more ‘Brown Bin Aware’ and reduce contamination in brown bins from items that cannot be composted.
Material Change, our local green waste recycling facility, takes all brown bin waste and turns it into compost and soil improver to be used on gardens. They look forward to improving the quality of the compost they produce even more by keeping out material not meant for brown bins.
Brown bins in Ipswich are purely used for composting garden waste. All garden waste should be placed loose in the brown bin; there is no need to put this in bags of any type, even compostable, biodegradable or corn-starch bags.
So, what can and cannot be put into brown bins?
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Moss | General household waste |
| Cut grass | Any plastic items, even biodegradable, plastic nappy/dog waste bags |
| Shrubs or flowers | All types of nappies |
| Leaves | Animal waste from pets or wild animals |
| Hedge and tree trimmings | Used tea bags or coffee grinds |
| Weeds (that have not been treated by weed killer) | Kitchen food waste, including shop-bought fruit and vegetables |
| Windfall fruit and vegetables from gardens or allotments | Sawdust or shredded paper |
Cllr Phil Smart, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change at Ipswich Borough Council, says:
“I am pleased that we in Ipswich benefit from being the only council in Suffolk that offers a free brown bin collection service and it’s right that we all help to make this a great service. In our brown bins we can’t accept plastic, glass, kitchen waste, nappies, animal waste, metal, treated wood, used tea bags or coffee grinds, shredded paper or rubble/bricks/stones. These are not good for composting.
“If any of these items are found in a brown bin by our collection crews, the bin will not be emptied. When a contaminated brown bin is identified, the crew will put a green sticker on the lid of the bin to advise the household that it has been rejected. The sticker also advises what items need to be removed and correctly disposed of in your black bin or household waste recycling centre before the next collection date.
“If residents can help us lower contamination by putting only correct items into brown bins it would further improve the quality of the compost we produce from this waste. So remember, for brown bins, green garden waste is fine, household waste and man-made material is not.”
To find out more about how to use your brown bin in Ipswich, visit our website.
