Somerset Council is marking Recycle Week, by publishing the annual recycling tracker. Recycle Week is the national campaign that shows people how they can recycle better, and why recycling right matters.
The tracker reveals that it’s been a bumper year for reuse in the county. With nearly 3,500 tonnes of materials being rescued to be used again (an increase of 26% from 2,700 tonnes last year).
Reuse is on the increase and this shows the trend for residents to make the most of the things we already have, through repairing or passing them on to extend their usable life.
Increased from last year was food waste recycling, with more than 23,000 tonnes collected and recycled in Somerset, an 8% increase of 1,700 tonnes. At the same time, the amount of rubbish sent to an energy from waste facility dropped, by 1,100 tonnes. The changes come following the first 9 months of the Council’s year-long campaign to get more food waste recycled.
Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Lead Member for Communities, Environment and Climate Change at Somerset Council, said:
We’re committed to sharing what happens to the recycling that’s collected at the kerbside and at our recycling sites. Residents want to know what we do with the materials we collect, by publishing our tracker we show that recycling is worthwhile.
Recycling is not only the right thing to do, because it means valuable materials can be used again, it also helps to provide an efficient service. Recycling is sold on and the money made helps to pay for the service. Processing materials for recycling is also cheaper and greener than sending rubbish to energy from waste.
I want to thank everyone for sorting their recycling, and if you’re unsure if an item can be recycled, it’s always worth checking before throwing.
There are many ways to reuse use items in Somerset and the Council’s Pass it on page can help guide residents of what to do with reusable items. This includes, taking items to the Reuse Shop at Taunton Recycling Site, arranging a collection from Anglo Doorstep Collections, donating to a charity shop or finding a local furniture reuse group.
A further notable reduction included a 40% reduction in materials being sent to landfill, this includes rubble and hardcore now being recycled.
Somerset Council’s 2025-26 recycling rate is 55%, putting them in the top 10% of unitary authorities in England. The annual Somerset Council recycling tracker, shows what happens after each tonne is collected or taken to a recycling site shows that the processing companies are legitimate.
This year, Recycle Week (14-20 September) is showing people how their recycling truly makes a difference, and that it’s worth doing properly. Somerset Council are proud to support the campaign.
Each year, billions of items that could be recycled are put in the wrong bins around the UK. Each item that is recycled correctly helps save energy, and keeps valuable materials in circulation to be used again and again.
Recycling in Somerset can become anything from cardboard boxes and plastic pipes, to soil conditioner and car parts.
