Make your recycling resolutions

3:38pm - 12 January 2022
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Could you make a resolution to recycle as much as possible this year?

January might be the month for de-cluttering after the Christmas excess and it’s also the perfect time to make small, positive, more sustainable tweaks to your lifestyle.

This year we collected a whopping 500 tonnes of additional recycling over the festive period – about the same weight as four blue whales.

It was almost a 50 per cent increase on what we’d collect in October.

We’re already one of the best councils in the country for recycling thanks to all your efforts, but we’d love to get even better.

A league table published last month ranked North Somerset as the seventh-best council in England for recycling, meaning we’re also the best performing in the south west and the second-best unitary authority in the country.

There are lots of recycling and reusing tips in the North Somerset Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Facebook group.

Also follow the recycling and waste team on Facebook or Twitter for regular updates on collections and news.

Garden waste service restarts next week

Garden waste collections re-start on Monday (17 January) following the festive break.

If you had a real Christmas tree this year, consider donating it to a good cause.

There is still time to take your tree to Noah’s Ark Zoo and Farm in Wraxall.

The trees are used to provide enrichment around the different animal enclosures, or chipped down for mulch to be used on zoo grounds.

The zoo is accepting trees up until Sunday 23 January. Leave them in the main car park during opening times (10.30am to 4pm). 

If you are a garden waste customer you can put your tree out on your first garden waste collection of the year.

Check your collection days on our website.

Trees should be no taller than two metres, and minus all decorations. Place it either in or beside your green waste bin or bag.

Alternatively, real trees can also be taken to one of our recycling centres, either in Backwell, Portishead or Weston-super-Mare.

Sites may get busy at this time of year and you may have to queue, so please turn your engine off while waiting.

Challenges for collection crews

There have been some challenges to the start of this year because of Covid-related absences affecting driver numbers.

Access issues have also affected some properties.

Please remember to park with consideration - if our collection vehicles can't get down the road, then emergency vehicles will also struggle.

• avoid parking on corners or junctions

• park close to the kerb and don’t double-park

• put your wing mirrors in.

Recycling trucks are loaded from both sides, so crews need extra room to manoeuvre around.

Sort to help speed up crews

Sorting your recycling will help speed up crews so they have more chance to complete their rounds on time.

Here is the best way to separate your materials:

Box 1 - plastic and metal can be mixed, with paper separate

Box 2 - cardboard and cartons mixed, with glass separate

Sorting boxes is a big help and can be the difference between taking 20 seconds to empty a well sorted box, or two minutes if it is mixed.

The quality of recycling also increases when boxes are well sorted.