The Somerset Waste Partnership has said its Recycle Now service will launch in October if plans are approved this Friday, 31 July.
The Recycle Now service will see a gradual introduction of three-weekly residual collections across the region, as well as a separate collection for Pots Tubs and Trays (PTT), small electrical equipment and household batteries at the kerbside.
Somerset Waste Partnership will launch the new service in Mendip at the end of October if it is approved
Separate collections of plastic bottles and paper will remain.
A weekly food waste service will also be rolled out, as part of efforts to increase the region’s recycling rate from 52.4% in the 2018/19 financial year to 60%.
An extra recycling container – a Bright Blue Bag – for plastics and metals will also be rolled out.
The new service will be introduced area by area so SWP’s five depots can be upgraded to handle “thousands of tonnes of extra recycling”.
Last month, Suez officially took over the £210 million collections contract for the Somerset Waste Partnership, after it was named as the preferred bidder in May 2019 (see letsrecycle.com story)
Timetable
The partnership is to consider a timetable for rolling out its proposed new service in Mendip, which would enable 51,000 households to recycle more from their kerbside.
The waste partnership said that South Somerset would welcome the service at end of June/early July 2021, with Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton following in the final two phases.
The partnership said that successful trials of Recycle More for over 1,000 Somerset families previously took place to make sure it would work.
By the end of the trial, 86% of the people who responded to a survey made clear they preferred Recycle More, the Partnership explained.
Enthusiasm
The Somerset Waste Board chair, Cllr Sarah Dyke, said: “Most people in Somerset are recycling. We want to make it easier for everyone to recycle even more, protecting our environment, helping tackle climate change and saving taxpayers’ money.
“This will be a major step forward and show the commitment of all partners”
“This will be a major step forward and show the commitment of all partners to addressing the climate change agenda. There is a lot if enthusiasm out there for this change which will help every resident recycle far more, throw away much less, and have a smaller carbon footprint.”
Vice Chair, Cllr Clare Paul, added: “We want to bring Recycle More to the county as soon as possible, but it has to be done area by area so our depots can be upgraded.
“So, whenever the roll-out starts, some residents will see Recycle More sooner than others. I’d ask everyone to be patient and carry on recycling as they are until the new service arrives – nothing changes until you get your Bright Blue Bag.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
