December 2024

Latest news

Your Christmas collections wrapped up

Recycling and rubbish collections will once again change over the festive period. Please take note to make sure you don't miss your collections. If your collection day is a Monday or Tuesday then it will not change over Christmas this year.

Christmas packaging, what can you recycle?

At Christmas-time we often have extra materials that we don’t have most weeks at home.

Don’t forget, consider ways you could reuse items before sending them to be recycled – recycling is great but reducing our waste is even better.

Reuse

Reduce waste at Christmas

If you’re feeling festive and planning for Christmas then we’ve pulled together all you need to know this Christmas-time to reduce waste and save money.

Make a meal of planning

Somerset is recycling more food waste than ever – but after Christmas food waste often rises. Last year, during last week of December, food waste rose by 31 tonnes each day, to 118.5 tonnes. That’s like throwing out 148,000 Christmas puddings everyday!

It’s good it’s being recycled, but cutting food waste altogether is even better for the environment.

Recycle your Christmas tree

You may have only just put it up, but have you planned what to do with your real tree at the end of the Christmas season?

There are several options but always make sure it’s recycled – please no trees in your bin!

• Compost at home, if you can.
• Garden waste subscribers: leave your tree, decoration-free, with your garden waste bin for collection – as long as it is no taller than 2 metres, (6 ft). Collections restart on Wednesday 8 January. Trees taller than 2 metres will not be collected, as they are too large for collection crews to handle.

If your tree is taller than 2 metres, or if you are not a garden waste subscriber, you will need to take it to the recycling site, where trees can go in the garden waste skip.

Alternatively, you could also look-up whether a local charity is taking part in a Christmas Tree collection service. Check out Just Helping, where local charities including, Dorothy House, St Margaret's Hospice and Children’s Hospice South West are all taking part.

Register online and the charity will collect the tree in return for a small donation

Get it sorted!

Will your wrapping paper pass the scrunch test?

As you prepare to get Christmas wrapped up, remember that once gifts have been given, recycle your wrapping paper.

Avoid wrapping paper with foil, plastic or glitter as this cannot be recycled.

Any wrapping paper you cannot reuse, remove sticky tape, bows and decorations. Save bows, ribbons, string for birthday gifts and put wrapping paper with card in your black recycling box.

Not sure if it’s recyclable? Scrunch it!

Step 1: Scrunch the wrapping paper into a tight ball.

Step 2: Open your hand to see if the paper stays scrunched together or bounces back open.

Step 3: If the paper stays scrunched in a ball, then you know it can be recycled. If it bounces back open then it likely contains foil or plastic and it can’t be recycled.

Lots to recycle?

Do not use a black rubbish sack to put out any wrapping paper you want recycled.

If you have a large load of wrapping paper, you can take it to any recycling site. Each will have a special drop-off point for wrapping paper; do not put it in the skips for card.

Reminder to book ahead for DIY waste

Hardcore, plasterboard and asbestos should be booked before you go to the recycling site. Every month, a household can bring up to eight, 50 litre sacks (or equivalent 2m sheets of asbestos or plasterboard) of DIY waste to our recycling sites for free – but you must book to let us know before you visit the site.

You must pre-book trips to dispose of this DIY waste, telling us:

• the amount of material you are disposing (up to eight 50 litre sacks, or equivalent per month)
• the number of times you will need to visit (up to four visits per month)

If you need to dispose of more than your monthly allowance then you can pay for the extra via our Construction and demolition waste disposal webpage (please note, due to an upgrade we can’t accept payments until Monday 9 December).

Not all sites accept asbestos and/or plasterboard, please check online to find what is accepted at each site.

Free disposal is only available to Somerset householders. Construction and demolition waste from trade is classified as industrial waste and this is not entitled to any free disposal.

Biffa can accept trade construction and demolition waste (excluding trade asbestos) and a charge is payable to Biffa at the site.

Please note, not all sites accept plasterboard (visit our webpage on finding your nearest recycling centre for details of what each site takes).

Order a replacement box, bin or bag online

Did you know, the quickest and simplest way to order a replacement box, bin or bag is to head to our website?

If any of your containers are damaged we can replace them for you. Once ordered, the replacement should arrive within 10 working days. Don’t forget to leave your old box, bin or bag out so we can take it away to recycle it.

We deliver about 5,500 new bins or replacements every month. The crew work hard to get to everyone quickly, but sometimes things don’t go quite as planned.

If you have ordered a replacement container, and it’s not arrived as expected, then please let us know by using our comment form - please provide your reference number.