Recycling tracker report
Our latest Recycling Tracker report shows Somerset’s continued great work and progress
Our latest Recycling Tracker report shows Somerset’s continued great work and progress
Download the 2022 - 23 Recycling Tracker in full
Earlier editions of the recycling tracker
Download earlier editions of the tracker. Note, the tracker has been previously known as ‘Beyond the Kerb; Recycling to Resources’, and the ‘End Use Register’.
Recycling Tracker report 2021 – 22
SWP Recycling Tracker report 2020 – 2021
SWP Beyond the Kerb Recycling to Resources 2019 – 2020
SWP Beyond the Kerb Recycling to Resources 2018 – 2019
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2017 – 2018
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2016 – 2017
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2015 – 2016
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2014 – 2015
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2013 – 2014
SWP Recycling End Use Register 2012 – 2013
About the recycling tracker
Our recycling tracker shows what happens to recycling which is collected each year – and how much is collected. We share what happens to every tonne that’s collected, the companies involved and its likely use as new packaging and products.
During 2022-23 :
- 142,524 tonnes of recycling was collected
- 56.4% recycling rate
- 96.6% of all recycling stayed in the UK
- 100% of plastics were recycled in the UK
- 54.4% of recycling stayed in Somerset
- Only 6,444 tonnes of waste went to landfill
- 125,254 tonnes of carbon was saved by recycling instead of landfill
Tracking what happens after each tonne of waste is collected shows that the reprocessing companies used are legitimate – no recycling is burned, dumped or ends up in the ocean.
Our recycling in Somerset could become anything from cardboard boxes and plastic pipes, to soil conditioner and car parts.
What happens to the waste we collect
Waste is collected and sold for reprocessing on our behalf by our contractors Suez and Biffa. Together, we have a commitment that all materials collected for recycling will stay in the UK if there is the reprocessing capacity and demand.
The excellent kerbside sorting into boxes and bags helps us get more recycling reprocessed closer to home. You can read more about this on our page Sorting your recycling into containers
Kerbside sorting reduces contamination by other materials and that makes it easier to sell to UK-based companies.
The amount of waste we handled
142,524 tonnes of recycling was collected and 96.6% of Somerset’s recycling was reprocessed in the UK, 54.4% of which stayed in the county.
Only mixed paper and cardboard was exported outside of the UK.
Plastics
100% stayed in the UK.
This was the first full year to show the impact of our ‘Recycle More’ kerbside recycling scheme. Somerset’s plastics performance shows that 6,463 tonnes, of plastic bottles, pots tubs and trays were collected – each one recycled here in the UK.
Food waste
More than 23,000 tonnes collected, all recycled in Somerset.
The amount of food waste collected has reduced, which is great news as food waste is a large contributor to climate change. Reducing food waste helps the environment, while saving residents money by using what you already have.
Food waste is transformed into electricity by the anaerobic digestion plant at Walpole near Bridgwater. Powering homes and businesses, plus farm compost to help grow more food.
Garden waste – stays in Somerset.
This year, 41,330 tonnes of garden waste was collected either from our kerbsides or at household recycling sites. This is a drop from the year before, likely because of the particularly dry summer in 2022. Garden waste is composted in Somerset and turned into the Revive soil improver, available to buy from our recycling sites.
Paper, card and glass
Paper and card at 25,083 tonnes, and glass at 17,843 tonnes have both reduced in volume. A reduction in waste could mean a couple of things – and is often linked to external influences.
- Households and businesses are committed to reduced packaging options. Although the recycling rate is down, the amount of refuse collected has not increased.
- It could also reflect the current cost of living crisis, with residents spending less and therefore less waste being produced at home.
Pioneered in 2008, Somerset was the first waste authority to publish this kind of annual, detailed breakdown.
Somerset’s impressive recycling rate puts it among the leading authorities for recycling, with plenty of potential for residents to raise that even further. It also makes Somerset one of the very best areas for carbon saving. That is all down to the kerbside sorting producing the kind of low-contamination, high-quality materials the market demands.
How materials are recycled
Paper | Sent to paper mills in the UK and overseas to be recycled into newsprint and other paper and board products. |
Cardboard | Sent to board mills in the UK and overseas to be recycled into new cardboard. |
Mixed container glass | Sent to reprocessing facilities in the UK to be turned into new glass bottles and jars, mineral wool and other glass products. |
Cans and foil | Sorted into steel and aluminium and sent to reprocessing facilities in the UK. Steel cans are made into new steel products and aluminium cans are recycled into more cans and other aluminium products. |
Food waste | Sent to an anaerobic digestion facility near Bridgwater to produce a soil improver used on agricultural land and biogas used to generate electricity. |
Garden waste | Composted in Somerset by Biffa. Sold as Revive Compost at recycling centres or in bulk for agricultural use. |
Textiles | Sent for reuse in the UK and developing world or shredded into cotton felt/wadding/mops and industrial wiping cloths. |
Shoes | Sent to developing nations to be refurbished and reused. Those not suitable for reuse are recycled. |
Plastic bottles and pots, tubs and trays | Sent to reprocessors in the UK to be recycled into various plastic items such as new plastic packaging, films, pipes, compost bins and fleece jackets. |
Beverage cartons | Sent to reprocessors in the UK to be separated into paper for cardboard products, plastic to generate energy, and aluminium to be used for aluminium products. |
Fridges and freezers | Broken down into separate components for reuse in manufacturing, and CFCs extracted for safe disposal. |
Electrical | Broken down into separate components, baled and recycled. |
Bric a brac | Sent to various local outlets via collection agents at each recycling site. |
Household batteries | Separated into different fractions (that is, metal and plastic) for reuse in manufacturing. |
Automotive batteries | Separated into different fractions (that is, metal and plastic) for reuse in manufacturing. |
Cooking oil | Turned into biofuel to generate electricity and heat. |
Engine oil | Oils are recovered and blended for use as an alternative fuel. |
Paint (water based) | Recycled into new paint products. |
Scrap metal | Sent to various reprocessors who break it down into separate components, bale and recycle it. |
Wood (Clean and low grade timber) | Some of the wood is chipped and made into a range of products including animal bedding, equestrian surfaces. Some is incinerated to produce energy and heat. |
Plasterboard | Separated into gypsum which is reprocessed into new plasterboard, and paper which is recycled into a variety of new paper materials. |