Residents have expressed disappointment after being unable to dispose of recyclable materials at Suffolk recycling centres, despite the council’s eco-pledge.
Suffolk County Council faces criticism after visitors to Ipswich and Foxhall centres reported being directed to discard their recyclables in general waste skips. Typically, these sites guide users to designated skips for materials like plastic and wood.
These concerns arise despite the council’s commitment to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, having declared a “climate emergency” five years ago.
The council stated: “On the rare occasions that recycling materials are placed in non-recyclable waste, they are not sent to landfill.”
Resident Frustrations
Terry Goldsmith, 74, visited Portman’s Walk recycling centre in Ipswich after carefully sorting his plastics and wood. He found most skips sealed and was told to throw everything into general waste.
“You spend time sorting everything out and then they chuck it all into one skip – it’s lazy and you feel let down and like you are wasting your time,” he said. “Everyone talks about recycling for future generations, but then we just throw it all away in landfill or burn it.”
Goldsmith recalled past plans for a larger facility that never materialized, noting, “If it was bigger they could have more skips. It’s far too small.”
Gardener Katrina Hudson, 46, had a similar experience at the new Foxhall Recycling Centre. “A lot of it all just went into the general waste skip,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘Why is this going to landfill? It is absolutely crazy,’ and it made me a bit mad.”
Council Response
Suffolk County Council has apologized for the inconvenience.
A spokesperson said: “We’re sorry that Terry and Katrina’s experiences didn’t meet their expectations, and we are investigating what happened during their visits. Our 11 recycling centres processed over 6,000 tonnes of material in May, about 70% of which was recycling, wood, and compost. We’ve had over 900,000 visits in the last year, with 97% of people satisfied with the service.
“On the rare occasions recycling materials end up in non-recyclable waste, they go to our Energy from Waste facility in Great Blakenham to be used as fuel for generating electricity. Our commitment to net zero and protecting the environment remains strong. We continue to invest in making recycling easier and safer for Suffolk residents.”
The spokesperson highlighted recent improvements, including the redesign of the Foxhall Road site in Ipswich and upcoming plans for a new recycling center in Haverhill, along with a proposal to replace Portman Walk with a new facility on Hadleigh Road in Ipswich.
