What goes in each bin in Ipswich?

Ipswich households now use separate containers for different types of waste and recycling. The idea is simple: keep materials apart so more can be recycled and less ends up in the black bin. This page is a plain-English guide to the main bins, but it is not a replacement for official council guidance. If an item is unusual, contaminated, very large, hazardous, or made from several materials, check Ipswich Borough Council before putting it out.

Use the Ipswich bin day checker to see the next collection shown to the app for your street. Collection dates can vary by road, and the official council site remains the source to use if anything looks uncertain.

The blue-lidded bin is for mixed recycling such as suitable plastics, glass, metal and cartons. In everyday terms, that usually means clean containers like bottles, jars, tins, cans and drinks cartons. Empty items first, and avoid using the blue bin for things that are greasy, full of food, or not listed in the council guidance.

Read the blue-lidded bin guide for more detail.

The green-lidded bin is for paper and card. Keep paper and cardboard separate from mixed recycling so it stays cleaner and easier to process. Flatten boxes where you can, and avoid putting wet, greasy or food-stained card in with clean paper recycling.

See the green-lidded bin guide for examples and common mistakes.

Food waste is collected weekly in Ipswich. Use the kitchen caddy indoors if that helps, then move food waste to the outdoor caddy for collection. A weekly reminder can be useful because the food caddy may go out even when other bins follow a longer pattern.

The food waste collection page explains how the reminder fits around normal collection days.

The black bin is for general rubbish that cannot go in recycling or food waste. Before using it, check whether the item belongs in the blue-lidded bin, green-lidded bin, food caddy, garden waste bin or another official route such as a recycling centre.

Use the black bin guide for general waste reminders.

The brown bin is for the garden waste subscription service where a household uses that service. Garden waste is separate from normal household rubbish, and subscription, renewal and service questions should be checked directly with Ipswich Borough Council.

See the garden waste collection page for brown bin reminder notes.

Check Council Info when you need official rules, collection delays, missed bin reporting, replacement bins, subscriptions or enforcement information. Which Bin Ipswich is only an independent reminder tool, so it should not be treated as a guarantee.