Refit of recycling facility could cost £12m

Upgrades to a recycling sorting facility could cost up to £12m, according to a county council.

Suffolk County Council said the materials recycling facility (MRF) in Great Blakenham needed refitting due to upcoming recycling collection changes.

The previous government told local councils they had to start collecting more types of recyclable items at the kerbside from 2026, along with weekly food waste collections.

The county council said it was planning to invest £5.9m from current budgets with further funding to come.

The council said paying the £5.9m up front could lead to savings in the future as the contracted firm that runs the site would have charged a fee if it had to initially spend the money itself.

The overall cost of upgrades is estimated to be between £10m and £12m.

Around 285 tonnes of material is sorted at the MRF every day. Separating and sorting the recycling involves 100 conveyor belts, and suitable material is packaged up and recycled elsewhere.

The council said changes were needed to process materials like glass, some types of cartons and plastic film.

The food waste collected is likely to be sent to a different facility, such as an anaerobic digester, which creates energy from the waste.

Tours of the facility have been suspended in 2025 due to the upgrades.

A Suffolk County Council spokesperson said: "With the government's new Simpler Recycling programme coming into effect across the country next year, the MRF in Suffolk needs a significant upgrade."

The county council will not be collecting the recycling - that role is carried out by the district and borough councils in Suffolk.

Concerns about budgetary pressures and obtaining the necessary equipment have been raised by some local authorities.

Some councils are planning to cut the frequency of general waste collections.

A Defra spokeswoman said: "Our Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England people will be able to recycle the same materials, without checking with their council."

The government have said financial help is available for councils to help with collections.

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