Trials took place within the Taunton-Deane borough in late 2014 which saw over 1,000 households have the collection of ‘black bag’ waste reduced from fortnightly to three-weekly, retaining a weekly recycling and food waste service.
According to the Partnership, the trial found that less than 2% of households in the three-weekly scheme put out extra black bags alongside their refuse bins. The tranche saw the most positive results, with food waste collections up 45% and other dry recyclables up 28%. The amount of residual waste collected fell by 27% (see letsrecycle.com story).
The trials were described by the Partnership as having achieved ‘significant success’.
Councils
The Partnership, which manages recycling and waste services for Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset and West Somerset district councils, Taunton Deane borough council and Somerset county council, has now announced that its members will consider changes to the county-wide service over the next two months.
In a statement, it said: “Nothing firm has yet been agreed but the decision must be made in the next two months in time to order replacements for the ageing fleet of recycling vehicles. Changes, if agreed, would be introduced in stages over at least two years.
“But SWP is confident this is a practical, sustainable and cost-effective solution to help residents recycle more, waste less and save money.”
Any changes to reduce collection frequency for residual waste would also see councils increase the material collected at the kerbside, with plastic pots, tubs and trays, drink cartons, small electrical goods and household batteries to be collected at the kerbside.
Service
At present, residents in the five Somerset districts and boroughs receive a weekly collection service for dry recyclables, including paper, glass and aluminium foil collected in a green box and cans, aerosols, plastic bottles and cardboard in a black box. This is coupled with a weekly caddy collection of food waste and a fortnightly collection of residual waste, either via wheeled bins or black sacks. An optional fortnightly green waste collection is also carried out by the councils.
Material collected from households is processed through the Somerset Waste Partnership’s contract with Viridor.
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