Three-weekly collections of general rubbish and upgraded weekly recycling collections are to be introduced across the Burnham-On-Sea area at the end of February, it has been confirmed.
The expanded weekly recycling collections from Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP), which are branded ‘Recycle More’, are currently being rolled out across Somerset.
The expanded weekly recycling collections are to be introduced for more than 70,000 households in Sedgemoor – including Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge, Brean, Berrow, Brent Knoll and the Huntspills – at the end of February.
Extra weekly recycling means far less rubbish, so rubbish bins or black sacks will be collected every three weeks instead of every two. Collection days will change for some households.
All residents with kerbside collections will have a new recycling container – a ‘Bright Blue Bag’ – delivered a week or two before the new service starts.
This is the final stage of the Recycle More roll-out, with the service already up and running in Mendip, South Somerset and Taunton Deane delivering hundreds of tonnes of extra recycling each week.
Most people in Somerset are recycling and Recycle More makes it easier for everyone to do even more, protecting the environment and helping tackle climate change.
Recycle More adds the following items to weekly recycling collections:
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays
- Food and drink cartons
- Small batteries
- Small electrical items
All residents will be sent information about Recycle More twice before the service starts, at around six weeks and three weeks before launch. This will include a collection day calendar and guide to what recycling goes into which container.
A customer survey in Mendip found that after six months, 84% of respondents said they preferred the new service over the old.
Mickey Green, SWP Managing Director, says: “We are really pleased with the way Recycle More has been received and the impact it is having.”
“Almost all the recycling we collected last year stayed in the UK to be turned into new products and packaging. At a time when tackling climate change is high on the agenda, recycling more is something we can all do every day to help.”
“It’s an important change and does mean everyone doing things a little differently, so it’s good to start thinking and preparing now by making sure you have all the necessary recycling containers and are making full use of the weekly collections.”
SWP says that where it can, Recycle More will also be improving recycling for homes with shared or communal collections, for example blocks of flats and homes of multiple occupancy. Improvements for these properties will be brought in later in the year at a date to be confirmed and what is possible will depend on space and access.
Everyone can have a green and a black recycling box, plus a food waste bin. New or replacement containers can be ordered free of charge from the SWP website somersetwaste.gov.uk using the My Waste Service feature or by calling your local district council.
Extra support is available for anyone with concerns about Recycle More. Please visit somersetwaste.gov.uk/recycle-more for more information or check the leaflets coming through your front door next month. Garden and clinical waste collections will not change with Recycle More.
