Introduction
Communal Collections are provided for homes that share bins for recycling and/or refuse. This includes blocks of flats, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and retirement developments.
Because every site is different, the exact service available depends on the space, layout, and access at each property.
Residents living in communal properties will usually be able to recycle either:
- A full range of materials using separate communal containers – including plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays; tins, cans, aerosols and foil; glass bottles and jars; cartons; paper and card; food waste; small electricals and batteries; and wearable clothes and shoes.
- Most materials using shared mixed recycling bins – typically paper, card, plastics, glass, tins, cans, empty aerosols and foil.
Where space and access allow, food waste collections can also be provided on request.
Refuse is normally collected from shared commercial‑sized bins, although arrangements can vary.
Communal collection points are usually agreed with site owners or managing agents.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Waste team.
What is changing this year - your questions answered
What is changing?
The collections are being introduced in line with the Government’s new Simpler Recycling regulations, meaning wherever someone lives or works in England, the same set of materials will be collected for recycling.
What are communal waste and recycling collections?
Communal collections are services provided to properties that share bins for recycling and rubbish, such as blocks of flats, Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), retirement developments and similar, shared buildings. Exactly what service is available depends on space, layout, and vehicle access at each site.
What materials can I recycle if I live in a communal property?
Depending on the facilities available at your building, you may be able to recycle either:
a) The full range of materials using separate containers:
If you have individual recycling boxes and bags for your property, nothing is changing. You can find more information about your collections on our page Recycling collections
b) Recycling materials via shared recycling bins, including:
- paper and card
- plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
- glass bottles and jars
- tins, cans, empty aerosols and foil
In March 2026, we will be expanding the communal recycling service and adding additional materials where space allows.
What changes are happening from March 2026?
Residents with communal collections will be able to recycle a wider range of materials, in line with national Simpler Recycling regulations.
The changes include:
- new weekly food waste collections for all communal properties
- new fortnightly collections for:
- plastic bags and wrappers
- cartons (for example Tetra Pak)
- ongoing fortnightly collections for plastics, tins, cans, aerosols and glass
- introduction of new labelled communal wheelie bins with coloured lids for correct separation
- each household will receive a kitchen caddy and liner roll, for food waste recycling
- plastic bags and wrappers must be clean. Compostable packaging is not accepted
Will every household be informed about the changes?
All affected households will receive a leaflet explaining exactly what is changing and when.
If you don’t receive a leaflet, your service is not changing at this time.
How is rubbish collected from communal properties?
Rubbish is normally collected from shared, commercial-sized bins, although arrangements vary depending on the site. Collection points are usually agreed with the site owner or managing agent.
Who arranges communal collection facilities?
Arrangements for bin storage, access and collection points are typically made with landlords, managing agents, or property owners, who must ensure adequate and suitable bin storage space.
What if my building has limited space for extra bins?
Communal sites are individually assessed. Where space or access is limited, Somerset Council will agree tailored solutions with landlords or managing agents.
Who do I contact if I have questions about communal collections?
In the first instance, please contact your landlord or managing agent so that they can liaise with Somerset Council.
Will food waste be collected from all communal properties?
Where possible we will be adding food waste to all communal properties by the end of March 2026. There may be some sites which don’t currently have space and so this may take longer to introduce. In the first instance, please contact your landlord or managing agent so that they can liaise with Somerset Council.
What will the new recycling system look like?
Communal areas will receive new wheelie bins with colour coded lids to help residents separate materials correctly.
Households will receive a kitchen caddy and one roll of liners for food waste.
My building has not received bins for the new materials.
We will be delivering bins throughout March 2026. There may be some sites which don’t currently have space and so this may take longer to introduce. In the first instance, please contact your landlord or managing agent so that they can liaise with Somerset Council.
What should I do with plastic bags and wrappers?
These are collected fortnightly and must be clean and free of food. Compostable packaging cannot be placed in this bin.
Why can’t I put plastic bags and wrappers into the existing bin for plastic and cans?
Plastic bags and wrappers need to be collected and recycled separately. Because of the nature of the bags, they can get tangled up and are difficult to sort. Plastic bottles and pots, tubs and trays are recycled separately from plastic bags, and so it is important to keep them separate when collecting them.
How will I know when the new service starts for my building?
You’ll receive a letter in the post with the start date and details for your property. Keep an eye out for further updates and guidance.
What do you mean by food waste?
Although we usually like to think we don’t produce food waste, most of us produce something. This might be unavoidable food waste which is made up of things aren’t normally eaten – like peel, cores, eggshells and bones.
Or it might be avoidable food waste which is food that could have been saved and eaten including things like plate scrapings, food thrown out in its packaging and gone-off food.
All of this food waste can be recycled – please remove all packaging first.
Why should I recycle my food waste?
We are encouraging everyone to recycle their food waste because it’s better for the environment and cheaper for us to process.
• Using the specially designed kitchen caddy can reduce smells, and food waste gets taken away more often than the rubbish.
• Food waste gets turned into something useful. It is used to generate green energy and fertiliser for farms.
I do not produce much food waste – do I still need a separate collection?
Yes, please use the food waste collection service. Food bins are emptied every week and no amount is too small. Even the odd tea bag, banana peel or egg shell count.
What happens to the food waste that is collected?
Food that is collected from our food waste bins is sent to an anaerobic digestion facility near Bridgwater. Anaerobic digestion (AD) acts like a stomach, it uses micro-organisms to break down food waste in the absence of oxygen, inside an enclosed system. The methane given off during this process is collected and converted to biogas and used to generate clean, green energy, heat or transport fuels. It also creates nutrient-rich digestate used for fertiliser for agriculture.
Anaerobic digestion is not the same process as commercial composting, which is why compostable packaging is not accepted in your food waste collection.
I have run out of caddy liners, where can I get more?
Each household will be provided with one roll of caddy liners for the small kitchen caddy. When these run out, further rolls can be purchased from supermarkets, online retailers and other stores. Please make sure that you only buy liners marked as compostable. And do not use any plastic bags in the food bin – even plastic bags marked as biodegradable are not suitable.
Do I have to line my kitchen caddy?
Lining the caddy helps to keep the food waste secure and provides a convenient way to transfer your food waste from the kitchen caddy into the larger food bin. It will help to prevent spillages and keep the bin cleaner.
Only liners marked as compostable can be placed in the caddy. Newspaper can be used as an alternative to wrap food.
Can I put compostable coffee pods or other compostable packaging into the food waste bin?
No, compostable packaging is not suitable for the Anaerobic Digestion process which is used to recycle the food waste. Please do not put any type of packaging in the food bin. It is ok to line your kitchen caddy with compostable liners.
What can I recycle in each bin?
- Brown bin – Food waste only. All food waste, cooked or raw including tea bags, coffee grounds, bones, plate scrapings and out of date food. Remove all packaging from food. Only use compostable liners or newspaper to wrap food. No plastic bags
- Blue lidded bin – Paper and cardboard – please remove any plastic packaging. Place materials in loose, no plastic bags. Flatten cardboard boxes and take larger boxes to recycling sites
- Grey lidded bin – glass bottles and jars (lids can remain on). Please rinse. No broken glass, Pyrex, kitchenware or lightbulbs. Place materials in loose, no plastic bags
- Orange lidded bin – cartons and ‘Tetra Pak’ – please rinse, squash and put the lid back on. Place materials in loose, no plastic bags
- Red lidded bin – plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays, aluminium foil, food tins and drinks cans, metal tubes, e.g. tomato puree. Please empty and rinse. No plastic bags or wrappers. No plastics or metals that aren’t packaging (e.g. toys, pans, utensils). Place materials in loose, no plastic bags
- Green lidded bin – plastic bags and wrappers (e.g. carrier bags, bread bags, frozen food bags, sweet wrappers, crisp packets). No pouches (e.g. baby food, pet food), polystyrene, blister packs, compostable packaging, or plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
Why do only some bins have liners and who will replace them?
The food waste bin is lined to help keep the bin clean. Please wrap your food waste in newspaper or use compostable caddy liners.
The bags lining the cartons bin and the plastic bags and wrappers bin are there to keep the contents separate from the other materials. These bags will be tied by the crews and placed in the same compartment on the vehicle as the plastics and cans. The sealed bags are then removed back at the depot so the contents can be recycled separately.
The bins for glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs trays and metal packaging, and paper and cardboard do not need to be lined.
The collection crew will re-line the bins after they have been emptied.
We currently have individual containers and are moving to shared bins. What will happen to our boxes and bags?
The individual boxes and bags will be removed from bin stores when the new bins are delivered. Please use the shared bins from that point.
I have a problem with the bin store, who do I contact?
Please contact your managing agent or landlord in the first instance. They are responsible for managing the bin store, including cleaning it or dealing with excess waste or fly tipped items. They are also responsible for ensuring that tenants use the bins correctly.
Who is responsible for cleaning the bins and the bin store?
This is the responsibility of the landlord or managing agent.
Why can’t we just put all the recycling in one bin?
For both kerbside collections and communal collections, we operate ‘kerbside sort’ where materials are sorted into different bins by the householder and then kept separate on the collection vehicle.
If all recycling was collected in one bin, it would be sent to a material recycling facility and would be sorted there.
In both cases, sorted recycling is sent to re-processors who turn it into new products or packaging.
Somerset has kerbside sort because of its environmental and financial benefits:
- it helps us recycle more and recycle closer to home – it has been shown to produce better sorted recycling with less ‘contamination’ by other materials. This is more in demand from UK re-processors and more valuable. Our Recycling Tracker shows how this helps keep the vast majority of our recycling in the UK.
- it saves carbon – there is no need for the very heavy carbon footprint of an energy-hungry material recycling facility.
- it is financially better – we get a better price for the recycling we sell to re-processors and do not have the significant extra costs of running a material recycling facility. This helps us keep our costs down.
Our bins are overflowing – what should we do?
Speak to your landlord or managing agent in the first instance. We have provided the appropriate number of bins based on the number of properties and the space available. If a recycling bin is regularly filling, we may be able to provide additional if there is space available. We can liaise with the landlord about this.
If the rubbish bins are regularly full, this may be because residents are not recycling properly or because inappropriate items are being placed in there. The landlord or managing agent will be responsible for making sure that the bins are used appropriately and for removing additional waste.
You can help to ensure the bins are used most efficiently by:
- ensuring all recycling is separated and placed in the correct bin – please place recyclables loose in the bins, do not bag them (with the exception of plastic bags and wrappers which can be contained inside a bag).
- flattening all cardboard boxes and taking large amounts or large boxes to a recycling site.
- rinse and squash cartons and plastic bottles and place the lid back on when they are flattened.
- rubbish bins are for general household waste only, bulky items should be taken to a recycling site.
- consider gifting, donating, or selling unwanted clothing and reusable items rather than binning them. For ideas, see our pages Pass it on and furniture reuse and Textiles and fashion
I have a large item to get rid of, what can I do?
Please do not leave large items in the bin store as they will not be collected.
In the first instance, if the item is still working or reusable, consider gifting, donating, or selling it. For ideas see or pages Pass it on and furniture reuse and Textiles and fashion
Most items can be taken to a recycling site and dropped off free of charge. You can use our directory to Find your nearest recycling centre
We offer a paid-for bulky waste collection service for unwanted large items such as furniture or domestic appliances. Charges apply, see our page Assisted, clinical and bulky waste collections
How do I know my recycling is actually recycled?
Our recycling tracker shows how much recycling is collected each year, and what happens to it. We share details on every tonne collected, the companies involved, and how it’s likely reused as new packaging and products. See our page Recycling tracker report