Case Study of Somerset Waste Partnership

You will need to remember these facts for your exam so make yourself a revision aid to help.

Somerset Waste Partnership

Somerset Waste Partnership is a combination of 5 local councils from Taunton to the Mendips

It collects waste over the whole of Somerset 700 households are visited per vehicle per day

How Often

Weekly food waste

Weekly dry recyclables (cans, bottles, paper, glass)

Fortnightly refuse collection (for things that cant be recycled)

Fortnightly garden waste (which you have to pay for)

SORT IT!

The Sort it Campaign was introduced in Oct 2004 and 160,000 households in Somerset take part.

It is one of the best examples of a waste and recycling scheme in the UK

The amount of waste going into landfill in Somerset is now less than 40%

Total amounts of waste have reduced by 10-20%

Refuse levels have halved

SORT IT!

The pie chart shows the types of waste being collected and sorted for recycling in Somerset.

You can clearly see that people are recycling food waste more than anything else.

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

Every household is given a wheelie bin, a recycling box and a food waste box so they can sort their waste.

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

Every house is given a 55 litre box for paper, glass bottles and jars, food and drinks cans, foil, textiles, shoes and car batteries.

The recycling can also be put out in plastic bags

Since providing the boxes recycling has doubled to 45-49%

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

25 litre bin for food waste kept outside

Small 5 litre box that can be kept in the kitchen

Since introducing this food waste makes up 27% of all recycling in Somerset. This is the highest amount!

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

For £25 a year in Mendip you can have your garden waste taken away every fortnight

You have to put it in sacks which are sold for £7.50 for 10

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

Other waste is collected from wheelie bins

The bins have been reduced in size from 240 litres to 180 litres to encourage recycling.

The lids of these bins must be closed and there are no collections of sacks. If this does not happen the waste does not get taken

The fortnightly collections of this waste restrict how much you can put out so encourages recycling and composting as well as reducing costs.

Waste and Recycling in Somerset

If you do not sort your waste properly or there is a problem with the waste collection, the refuse collectors will let you know so you can fix the problem for next time

If you do not fix the problem then you will get a letter and then a fine to make sure that people are sorting their waste properly.

What happens to the food Waste?

Waste goes to the Viridors Waste Management Site near Castle Cary

Food waste and garden waste are mixed 50/50 and it is put in huge containers to compost.

After 6-10 weeks the fresh compost is then supplied to local farmers to use on their fields.