Last chance to comment on waste strategy

The way in which we deal with waste in North Somerset is going to play a huge role in how we tackle the climate emergency - we only have one planet so we must prioritise reusing, repairing and recycling.

The recycling and waste strategy outlines our ideas and there are still a few days left for you to get involved too.

Comment on our ambitions and plans before the consultation closes at noon next Wednesday (18 August).

The short survey will take five to 10 minutes to complete while the longer version will take about 30 minutes.

Our long-term mission is to achieve a ‘zero waste’ North Somerset, where resources used and waste produced is minimised.

In 2019/20 we achieved a recycling rate of 60.6 per cent, placing us in the top 10 in England and the best performing council in the South West.

Despite this high achievement, our waste analysis of 250 households found that 45 per cent of the average household black bin is made up of items which could be recycled at the kerbside.

Kerbside recycling boxes are a great way to separate materials at home, which in turn means a higher quality of recycling is produced.

However, sometimes recycling can be blown away from the boxes and end up on the street.

You can help your community and crews to reduce on-street littering by following these top tips:

·       squash and flatten all materials except glass, so it’s less likely to be blown around or fall out of the box

·       do not overfill your boxes. If you have too much, store some for next week or take any excess to your nearest recycling centre

·       stack boxes so the lightest materials such as plastic are at the bottom and the locked food bin is on top

·       put your recycling out as close to your collection as possible – before 6am in June, July and August and 7am from September to May

·       sort your recycling so it’s quick and easy for crews to empty into the truck and they aren’t rooting through your boxes, which could lead to spillage

·       box nets are a great way to stop litter blowing around in the wind. You can buy them online or from your local library.

Sorting your recycling boxes will really help speed up collections.

It can take as little as 20 seconds to empty a sorted box rather than two minutes for one that’s all mixed together.

Here’s a reminder on how to organise your items:

Box 1 = plastic and metal mixed together, with paper separate

Box 2 = cardboard and cartons mixed together, with glass separate

Items such as textiles and small electricals should be placed next to, or on top of, your box in a loosely-tied bag.

Coping in hot weather

Crews adjust their working hours slightly on the warmest days to start earlier and avoid working in the hottest part of the day.

So, for the remainder of August, please make sure all recycling boxes and bins are out by 6am.

Park with consideration

Parked cars continue to cause problems for recycling crews as they drive around North Somerset.

If the gap in the road is too narrow, the large recycling lorries won’t be able to drive through and your whole street will miss its recycling collection.

And remember, if a recycling truck can’t get through then neither can an emergency vehicle.

Please:

- park legally, not within 10 metres of a junction

- park close to the kerb

- leave enough space for a fire engine or ambulance to pass

- leave extra room near tight corners

- fold in your wing mirror.

You can report a missed collection on our website.