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Recycling and waste festive update

The North Somerset Council Recycling and Waste Team would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. 

As we start our festive countdown and residents start to prepare, we would like to offer some seasonal advice:

  • Updated collection calendars for recycling, household waste and garden waste are now available on the North Somerset Council website. These are dated from now until March 2021.
  • Residents can use the postcode look-up tool to download the new calendars and check when their next collection day will be.

Over Christmas to accommodate for bank holidays there are some changes to normal collections days:

Garden waste

To help with the excess of recycling and waste produced during the festive season, the garden waste service will be suspended completely between 21st December – 15th January.  When the service resumes on Monday 18 January, if residents are signed up to the garden waste service, they can place real Christmas trees (up to 2m high minus pot and decorations) out for collection next to their bin.

There are also options to dispose of a real tree by donating to charity or local organisation – we ask residents to choose the option closest to where they live to cut down on travel:

  • Noah’s Ark Zoo and Farm Wraxhall – 1000 repurposed for animal enrichment and the rest to be chipped to mulch for the zoo. There will be a drop off point for trees in the main car park. Limit of 2000 trees.

Recycling centres

The centres are closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Winter opening hours apply to all three sites at Portishead, Weston-Super-Mare and Backwell.

Please check our website www.n-somerset.gov.uk/recyclingcentres for advice about social distancing guidelines and opening times before travelling.

The recycling centres are open for excess waste but please be considerate that in order to keep community and staff safe, there are limitations to the number of people allowed on site at one time. If there are queues on roads surrounding the sites please turn off your engines while you wait and be aware you may be asked to return another day. To avoid unnecessary travel always visit the site closest to your home.

Extra recycling can be placed out for collection in separate loosely tied bags or another box. For crew safety please put all glass in the recycling box and flatten and fold all cardboard to the size of the recycling box, it won’t be collected if it’s too big. If residents have large amounts of recycling, please put a little out each week, to help crews finish collections and reach every household. Occasionally we use different vehicles to collect your recycling over this period, it will still be recycled as normal.

This year, all recyclable wrapping paper needs to presented with the cardboard recycling.  Wrapping paper that is glittery, metallic or plastic coated cannot be recycled and needs to go into the black bin.  Try to scrunch the paper in your hand and if it holds shape and remains scrunched it is most likely you can recycle it, if it bounces back it cannot.  Glittery Christmas cards are also non-recyclable and must go in the black bin, or repurpose as gift tags.

What to do with waste in severe weather:

  • Waste – Put your waste out on your collection and if it is not collected, leave it out the crews will return
  • Food caddy and recycling – Put these out on your collection day, if they are not collected by 7pm, please take them back in and put them out again the following week on your normal collection day.
  • Garden waste – Put it out on your usual day, if it is not taken please take it back in and put out again the following month on your collection day.

How to help:

  • Put bins and containers out by 7am on your collection day.
  • If collections are missed from the whole street there is no need to report it as it will already be logged.
  • Remove all packaging from inside cardboard boxes, flatten and fold to the length of your recycling box.
  • Extra general waste that does not fit in your black bin will not be collected and should be taken to a recycling centre, or stored until your next collection.
  • Please help neighbours who may have difficulties.

New Garden waste service Please note that from April 2021 an annual charge for garden waste collections (£50 each bin) is being introduced.  We will send out a letter in early 2021 with details on how to sign up to the new service and options for registered users of the current service. https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/bins-recycling/types-waste/garden-waste

Thank you to all our residents for your support and co-operation this year.  With your help North Somerset council achieved a 60% recycling rate and recognition as the top South West authority and the 9th nationally. We hope to continue this great work into 2021 and would like to acknowledge the collaborative effort of our residents, staff and crews.