Three weekly waste collections

Following an extensive public consultation in 2024 the majority of households in North Somerset now receive a black bin collection every three weeks. 

The move to three-weekly black bin collections is in line with our Recycling and Waste strategy, which aims to reduce non-recycled waste and reach a recycling rate of 70 per cent by 2030. These changes will significantly reduce the costs associated with collecting and treating waste in North Somerset and generate savings of over £1 million to help fund vital local services.

Making recycling easier

To help households manage the change we've been making recycling easier. Earlier this year we introduced a new red bag for recycling household plastic and metal packaging to make recycling much easier. There's no need to sort different materials in the same box, plus there's extra space for more recycling to help you reduce waste in your black bin. 

As part of the changes, we are also introducing new collection vehicles to all routes by the end of June. The new vehicles have larger compartments for collecting batteries, clothes, small electrical items and vapes to make these collections more reliable.

Plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping

The new vehicles also have a separate compartment to collect plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping, such as crisp packets, film lids, pet food pouches and vegetable wrapping. 

We are the first local authority in the country to offer this service across the whole of the district. Soft plastic items such as food wrappers, film lids, plastic bags and crisp packets can be recycled by stuffing them into any soft plastic bag such as a carrier bag or bread bag, then tying the top and placing in your recycling box with glass bottles and jars. 

For more information on recycling plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping please see our leaflet on soft plastics.

While we wait for the new vehicles to come into service, some plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping will be collected by vans following along behind the recycling vehicle.

App

We've also introduced a free North Somerset Council app to make recycling and waste collections easier. You can set up reminders for when to put out your bins and receive real-time information about the service if a collection can't be made. You can also check what to do with different items, as well as find out about other council services.

Download from the Apple app store or Google Play Store for Android phone users.

Operational changes

Crews have received training on how to put containers back neatly and should leave a feedback card if recycling couldn't be collected to help residents get it right next time.

The new collection routes take into consideration all the new houses that have been built across North Somerset since the routes were originally devised, as well as the roads that need to be collected with specialist vehicles to provide a more efficient and reliable service.

We introduced weekly kerbside recycling collections of a wide range of materials, including food waste, 15 years ago. However, an analysis of the waste North Somerset households put in their black bins found that almost half (45 per cent) could have been recycled.

Of the total waste put in black bins, over a quarter (27 per cent) was food waste and almost half of this was unopened food still in its packaging. 

Last year, households in North Somerset generated approximately 90,000 tonnes of waste, 40,000 tonnes of which was put in black bins. 18,000 tonnes of this could have been recycled instead, saving money and protecting the environment.

Black bin rubbish costs £130 per tonne to dispose of and this year the council will need to spend about £5 million on processing this waste. In contrast, North Somerset Council’s separated kerbside recycling collections result in a high quality of material that can be sold and made into new materials and generates an income of around £30 per tonne. 

Several other local councils in the south west have already successfully made the switch to three-weekly non-recyclable rubbish collections, including Somerset, East Devon and Mid-Devon. All have seen an increase in recycling rates, a reduction in non-recyclable waste and a financial saving.

You can find answers to the full list of frequently asked questions about three-weekly collections below.