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Sorted!
Waste news
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If you're planning to visit your local recycling site, please remember that all 16 recycling sites have now moved to autumn/winter opening hours.
All sites open every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm.
From Monday to Friday, recycling sites are open from 9am to 5pm, opening days vary from site to site, please check online. Sites return to summer opening hours in April.
For a list of all Somerset's sites including addresses, opening times and materials accepted, visit our Recycling centres webpage.
Over the last couple of weeks our crews have been busy trying to get to everyone. Unfortunately, due to some operational and vehicle issues, we’ve had some delayed collections.
We’re sorry for the delay and thank you for bearing with us.
If collection crews do face unexpected delays, updates are posted via @SomersetWaste on Facebook.
 Somerset is stepping up its recycling game and keeping it local! The latest figures from Somerset Council’s annual recycling tracker show that 5.4% more recycling is now being processed right here in the county compared to last year. That means less travel, lower emissions, and more benefits for our local economy.
Some standout stats:
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99% of plastics collected in Somerset were recycled within the UK.
- The amount of waste recycled and reused locally rose by 2.5%.
- Waste sent to landfill dropped by over 57%, a win for the environment.
Cllr Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, said, “It’s fantastic to see more of our recycling being handled in Somerset. Residents want to know what happens to their waste, and these results show we’re making real progress.”
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Pumpkins are a Halloween staple, however according to Hubbub millions are wasted every year. We know that most people in Somerset recycle their food waste – it’s the right thing to do with any scraps that won’t be eaten.
But too many end up rotting on doorsteps or in bins. In Somerset, food waste increases by around 20% in the fortnight after Halloween.
The best thing to do with your pumpkin... eat it!
Here’s how to make the most of your pumpkin:
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Eat it all: did you know that every scrap of a pumpkin is edible - apart from the stalk! Roast the seeds, make soup or pie, and compost or recycle the rest.
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Decorate instead of carve: painted pumpkins last longer and reduce waste.
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Buy local: cut the mileage and choose locally grown pumpkins where possible.
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Heritage Open Days at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK go from strength to strength with two sites opening at the weekends last month for local residents to visit.
Following last year's successful Heritage Open day, Somerset Council’s waste collection contractor SUEZ, opened the doors to two materials recycling facilities based in Taunton and Evercreech, allowing members of the public to visit and learn more about what happens to their recycling once it’s collected from the kerbside.
With 140 visitors it demonstrates Somerset residents’ commitment to becoming more sustainable, and finding out how they can become even better recyclers.
Matt Canning, Somerset Contract Director for SUEZ said: ‘Taking part in the annual Heritage Open Days is a great opportunity for us to engage with the local community and showcase the work we do behind the scenes to ensure the county recycle as much as possible. It also enabled us to highlight some of the dangers of putting items like gas cannisters and batteries in the recycling.’
Residents were able to see the blue bag sorting process, food waste, and the machinery used to bale the materials, but of course the best part was getting up close to recycling collection vehicles!
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As the spooky season creeps in, we’re encouraging everyone to think sustainably when planning Halloween festivities.
From costumes to pumpkins, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the fright-night fun without frightening the planet.
This autumn, Fixy will be on the road and heading to events across Somerset.
Fixy accepts items including laptops, tablets, mobile phones and smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, game consoles and accessories, hard drives, external disk drives, and routers, all including a power supply cable, AC adaptor and charger wherever possible.
On Sunday 26 October, the clocks go back 1 hour - a good excuse to check smoke detectors, batteries, bulbs, plugs and Christmas lights. All electrical items, low-energy bulbs and batteries can go to recycling sites.
With kerbside recycling, put out small electrical items in carrier-size bags, and household batteries in small clear bags.
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