100% of plastic recycled in Somerset stayed in the UK for processing
The plastic which has been recycled was taken in by the UK companies to be turned into new products and packaging
Last updated 6th Jul 2024
Somerset Council say 100% of plastic recycled across the county stayed in the UK for processing.
That's 6,500 tonnes of plastic bottles, pots, tubs, and trays - and is up from the 99.4 per cent the year before across the local authority's area.
The plastic which has been recycled was taken in by the UK companies to be turned into new products and packaging - from plastic wrapping and compost bins all the way to brand-new fleece jackets.
The figure features in Somerset Council’s annual Recycling Tracker, which will be released next week for Somerset Recycling Week.
Councillor Dixie Darch, Executive Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change said: “We want to lead the way and act responsibly to protect our environment, helping make Somerset a greener and more sustainable county.
"We are transparent about where our waste goes as a county, and are proud to say that all the plastic collected stayed in the UK.
“Letting people know what happens to the recycling they sort has been shown to be a great motivator to get people recycling more, which is why Somerset was the first area to publish this kind of detail every year.
“Responsibly reprocessing our waste is a priority, but we also want to back efforts to reduce the amount of waste we are producing. Recycling is great, but reducing and reusing is even better.”
In Somerset, most types of plastic, including bottles, pots, tubs and trays can be recycled with kerbside collections using the Bright Blue Bag.
Somerset Council is one of a handful of authorities taking part in a national trial of the kerbside collection of plastic bags and wrapping, which the local authority say is working well in the small sample of properties in Frome and the aim is to expand it in years to come.