Image
Look out for the pack coming through your letterbox, which outlines the changes being introduced from Monday 9 June to make recycling easier and reduce waste.
Black bin collections will switch from fortnightly to three-weekly for most households, and a wider range of recycling materials will be collected every week, including plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping.
An additional one-off Saturday collection will happen to help households who have a gap between their old and new black bin collection day of more than three weeks.
The information pack will have all the details.
Most people’s collection day will also change from Monday 9 June, to increase the efficiency of collections, reduce emissions, and improve reliability of the service.
Last year we spent more than £4m processing black bin waste.
Increasing the range of recycling and switching to three-weekly black bin collections will significantly reduce these costs, as well as generate savings of more than £1m to help fund vital local services.
New recycling vehicles will have a dedicated space to collect plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping, such as crisp packets, film lids, plastic pouches and vegetable packaging.
These items currently make up about 10 per cent of black bin contents.
From June, you can put plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping in the recycling box you use for glass, squashed into a bread bag or carrier bag and tied with a knot to squeeze all the air out.
There will also be larger compartments on recycling vehicles for batteries, clothes, small electrical items and vapes, to improve the reliability of these collections.
Red recycling bags have already been delivered to homes across North Somerset to provide extra space for more recycling.
If yours hasn’t arrived yet, report it online.
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.
Several other councils have already successfully switched to three-weekly non-recyclable waste collections, including Somerset, East Devon and Mid Devon.
Residents who may struggle with three-weekly black bin collections - due to medical needs, children in disposable nappies or being a larger household – may qualify for additional non-recyclable waste capacity.
Applications for this will be available from the end of June.
Any 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.
Garden waste collections will not change and green bins will continue to be emptied on the same day and frequency as the current schedule.
New app to make recycling easier
Have you downloaded our new app yet?
We launched the new North Somerset Council app last month and it’s now been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
The app makes recycling easier - offering a range of helpful features including bin day reminders, real-time service alerts on any changes to recycling and waste collections, and a comprehensive search tool to check how to recycle items correctly.
As well as recycling and waste services, it also helps you find local councillors, local food hygiene ratings, council news and more.
When we roll-out the changes to recycling and waste services this June, the app will provide an easy way to track collection day changes.
Download the free North Somerset Council app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for Android. Just search for ‘North Somerset Council’.