Somerset Council together with household collections contractor, SUEZ UK are celebrating following shortlisting for two MRW National Recycling Awards.
The partnership has been shortlisted for Campaign of the Year – Recycling Incentive and Food Waste Initiative, following the success of the Food Recycling campaign.
The prestigious awards celebrate the UK’s most innovative and impactful recycling, waste and resource management projects.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Communities, Environment and Climate Change said:
We’re absolutely delighted to see our food recycling campaign shortlisted in not one, but two categories at the National Recycling Awards.What makes this achievement particularly special is that it reflects the efforts of Somerset residents. Thousands of people got involved, pledged to recycle more of their food waste and made small changes that have added up to a big impact. Together, we’ve recycled more food waste, saved money and helped create renewable energy from something that might otherwise have gone to waste.
Matt Canning, Contract Director at SUEZ said:
We’re very proud of what our partnership with Somerset Council is achieving and to be shortlisted in two categories at these prestigious awards is fantastic recognition of what we’re doing in Somerset. It goes without saying that participation by Somerset residents is absolutely key to the progress we’re making and it’s a huge credit to the thousands of residents that have pledged to recycle more of their food waste and committed to making small changes that have such big impact.
Throughout the year, the campaign combined targeted social media, community events, face-to-face engagement, educational content and resident pledges to encourage more people to recycle their food waste. Activities were designed to raise awareness of the benefits of food recycling, tackle common misconceptions and help residents make food recycling part of their everyday routine.
Through this targeted engagement and behaviour-change activity, the campaign increased food waste recycling by 7.3% (equivalent to an additional 0.5kg per household per month). It also generated more than £60,000 in cost savings and secured 1,500 resident pledges to recycle more food waste.
The MRW National Recycling Award winners will be announced on 1 December 2026. For more information about the MRW Awards, visit National Recycling Awards 2026.
