The introduction of expanded kerbside recycling collections in the Burnham-On-Sea area and other parts of Somerset has been hailed a success by Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP).
New figures show the ‘Recycle More’ service has resulted in the weight of waste in rubbish bins falling by around 20% while the amount of plastic collected has nearly doubled.
And since the new collection service started, huge amounts of new materials have been collected including 174 tonnes of small electricals, 97 tonnes of cartons (including Tetra Pak), and 27 tonnes of household batteries.
In 2019-20 the average monthly weight of plastic collected in Somerset was 270 tonnes. So far in 2022-23 it has been a huge 518 tonnes – an estimated 10million pieces, every month.
Recycle More is now in place for all residential homes in the county, with the roll-out to Sedgemoor and West Somerset finishing in July. In October, collections from Somerset schools will be expanded as the final part of the initiative.
Mickey Green, SWP Managing Director, says: “We want great recycling to be part of everyone’s daily routine and in the Somerset DNA.”
“These figures show how warmly residents have embraced Recycle More, and that has helped our recycling rate reach new heights. We can all be proud of what’s been achieved so far, but there’s still lots more we can do”.
In 2021-22 Somerset recycled or reused nearly 150,000 tonnes, saving 133,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 51,000 cars off the road for a year. 97.2% of material stayed in the UK to be turned into new products and packaging, including 99.4% of plastics.
