December 2025

Latest news

Check ahead for your Christmas collections

Getty images - S Katzenberger

Collections will once again change during the Christmas and New Year period.

Please take note to make sure you don’t miss your collection. If your collection day is usually a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday then there will be no change to your collections.

If you’re one of our Garden Waste subscribers, then collections will be paused as usual. There are no garden waste collections from Thursday 25 December to Wednesday 7 January. Garden Waste collections re-start on Thursday 8 January.

Recycling sites seasonal closures

All of our recycling sites will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Sites will be open as usual on other days.

If you have a real Christmas tree that you wish to throw away, you can recycle it via the garden waste skips at any of the sites.

If you have a lot of wrapping paper, you can take it to any recycling site. Each will have a special drop-off point for recyclable wrapping paper; do not put it in the skips for card. Unrecyclable paper should be put in the general rubbish.

Fixy takes home International Green Apple Award for e-waste prevention work

A massive well-done to the Fixy team, recently receiving an International Green Apple Environment Award at the House of Lords. Managed by Resource Futures and partnered with Somerset Council and Donate IT, Fixy brings electrical repair and reuse directly to communities. Since 2022, the initiative has saved more than 13,400 kilograms of electrical items from going to waste. The team work with local charity Donate IT to refurbish and redistribute devices for those in digital poverty. The team have also inspired thousands to embrace repair and reuse. This recognition highlights Fixy’s growing impact and plans to expand its reach across the UK. The Fixy team are often on the road and visit local repair groups and events. They’re able to collect tech donations, but please check our Fixy webpage for a full list of what they accept. 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. Items must be unlocked and unlinked if using an iCloud account to enable reuse. Items unable to be reused will be securely recycled. Alternatively, find permanent tech drop off points via the Donate IT website.

Bridging the digital divide, 2,000+ devices regifted

Donate IT recently celebrated its 2,000^th tech donation, marking thousands of lives impacted and opportunities created for individuals and organisations in digital poverty across the South West.

Simon Barfoot, founder of Donate IT said: ‘Our 2,000th donation is more than just a number for us, it represents thousands of lives impacted, opportunities created, and barriers broken.’

We’ve worked in partnership with Donate IT for many years, and formed links following the launch of our Fixy project in 2022.  

Together with the Fixy project, the teams encourage people to declutter their drawer of doom, adding confidence that data would be securely wiped by Donate IT as a trusted partner.

Donate IT provides a practical and safe route to pass on unwanted smart tech to help others in digital poverty. 

Somerset communities awarded £50,000 to cut waste

In the last 2 years, 9 local groups across Somerset have received over £50,000 from the Waste Not Somerset Fund. The fund was set up in partnership with our waste collections contractor, SUEZ to help reduce waste, boost reuse and repair, and encourage sustainable habits in communities across Somerset. The joint fund is managed by Somerset Community Foundation on behalf of Somerset Council and SUEZ using money from the sale of recyclable materials which is reinvested back into the community. This year’s grants support a range of projects, including a repair shop in Yeovil, a community composting hub in Glastonbury, digital inclusion efforts, and a clothes swap for families in Wellington. Since the fund began in 2024, over 20 tonnes of waste have been diverted from going to waste thanks to these community-led initiatives. The fund’s panel, which included representatives from Somerset Council, SUEZ, and CAG Somerset, selects projects that make a real difference on the ground. Somerset Community Foundation continues to support local charities and groups, helping communities thrive and drive positive change.

Reuse

Declutter with Anglo Doorstep Collections

Image courtesy of Anglo Doorstep Collections

We’ve recently teamed up with Anglo Doorstep Collections, who provide a free doorstep collection service for preloved reusable clothes, shoes, and small household items. The service is completely free, and boxed up items can either be handed directly to the collector or left outside if you’re not at home.

Items they can collect include:

• Clothing, shoes and accessories
• Kitchenware, crockery and cutlery
• Books
• Toys and soft toys
• CDs and DVDs
• Small electricals and gadgets
• Bed sheets, linen and towels
• Antiques and ornaments

Get it sorted!

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.

Christmas trees - plan ahead for the Christmas clear-up

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 Thursday 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 recycling 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.

Will your wrapping paper pass the scrunch test?

Getty images - Enio DePaz

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?

Don't 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.

Check your Garden Waste collection schedule

Don’t forget, our Garden Waste Collection days have recently been updated.

If you’re not sure what your new collection day is, you can check it online.

If you have previously downloaded your schedule to your phone or tablet's calendar, you will need to re-download this.

You can also check your subscription end date at anytime online.