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From today (Monday 9 June) North Somerset Council will collect plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping as part of its weekly household recycling collections, and is the first council in the country to provide this service to households across the district.
Other changes introduced today include a new collection day and black bin collections switching from fortnightly to three-weekly for most households. Comprehensive information packs outlining the new arrangements have been posted out to every property.
An additional one-off Saturday collection has been arranged to help anyone who has a gap of more than three weeks between their old and new black bin collection day. Interim collection arrangements are in place, and residents are urged to check their information pack carefully, as for some this includes a one-off Saturday collection.
Councillor Annemieke Waite, North Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, said: “We want to make North Somerset a thriving and sustainable place to live, work and visit. As well as making recycling easier to protect the environment, our new recycling and waste collections service will also generate savings of over £1 million to fund vital local services.
“Having spoken to lots of residents over the past few months I know they’re really looking forward to being able to recycle plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping. If you’re recycling absolutely everything you can, there really will be very little left over that needs to go in the black bin!”
Plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping includes items such as crisp packets, film lids, plastic pouches and vegetable packaging, which take up a lot of room in black bins. Plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping should be presented for recycling in the household’s glass recycling box, squashed into a bread bag or carrier bag and tied with a knot to squeeze all the air out.
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 being put in black bins, over a quarter (27 per cent) is food waste – and almost half of this is unopened food still in its packaging,” added Cllr Waite. “As well as being an incredible waste of people’s money and the Earth’s resources, black bin waste costs a lot more to dispose of. If you’re not yet recycling your food waste you can find out more at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/foodwaste.”
Residents who may struggle with the new three-weekly black bin collections due to medical needs, children in disposable nappies or a larger household may qualify for additional non-recyclable waste capacity. An application form to request this will be available from the end of June. For more information, please visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/threeweekly.
The changes will be introduced for the majority of households in North Somerset. Properties not suitable for a less frequent black bin collection, such as those with communal collections and many town centre properties, will keep their current frequency, though it is likely the collection day will change.
There are no changes to garden waste collections as this is a standalone service.