28 March 2020
One of my jobs as a Mendip councillor is to help scrutinise the policies and performance of the Somerset Waste Partnership, and that’s how I know about their Recycle More initiative planned for this summer. It’s good to hear that it will increase the range of plastics we can put in our kerbside boxes, something we’ve been wanting for years. In addition to existing recycling they will be collecting plastic pots, tubs and trays (including black plastic), Tetra Paks and other drinks cartons, batteries and small electrical items.
Recycle More will be rolled out across Somerset, starting with Mendip in June/July this year. At the same time there will be a new contractor, Suez, to deliver this, and a brand new fleet of vehicles. Somerset Waste Partnership hopes to achieve a 30% increase in ‘dry’ recycling and subsequent reduction in the volume of waste currently seen in rubbish bins. This will enable a change from a 2-3 weekly collection; recycling collections will remain weekly.
Prior to all these changes you may have noticed the current Somerset Waste Partnership campaign ‘Slim My Waste, Feed My Face’ aimed at changing our behaviour regarding food waste; far too much of it is going into our rubbish bins, on average 25% of the contents by weight. This costs money to send to landfill (£94.15 per tonne) and causes methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas. This campaign was very successful in Bristol and could not only reduce food waste in our rubbish by 20% but also increase the amount we already collect from brown bins. All food waste goes to an anaerobic digestion plant where it produces electricity and farm compost.
We are lucky that Somerset Waste Partnership is ranked seventh best in the country for carbon savings and over 90% of our recycling stays in the UK, with over half of that staying in Somerset.
Cllr Michael Dunk
Frome Market ward