Felixstowe residents have been warned their bins will not be emptied if they break new rules on food contamination as of Wednesday this week.

East Suffolk council bosses have warned householders will no longer be able to put food waste in their garden rubbish bins from this week and have said people breaking the new rules will not have their brown/green bins emptied because of the contamination and all food waste must go in the general waste (grey/black) bins.

An East Suffolk council spokesman said: "Processing food and garden waste together is an expensive process, and this change will not only cut down on the high cost of processing the fractionally small food waste part of this stream, but it will also align the area with the rest of the district where food waste is already being collected via the general waste bin.

"We are working with the government and other districts to find a way to collect food waste more efficiently."

The council says the food waste will still be used usefully - sent to the Energy from Waste plant at Great Blakenham to be turned into electricity.

The garden waste bin can be used for grass cuttings, flowers and plants, hedge clippings, twigs, windfall fruits, hay and straw, and vegetable waste (uncooked seeds and skin - not cooked foods).