Somerset flexible plastic recycling trial to be extended

The trial by Somerset Council is set to be extended to a further 20,000 properties

More households will be able to recycle flexible plastics at the kerbside as a trial is set to be extended.

Somerset Council began a small-scale trial of collecting flexible plastics in May 2023, focusing on 3,600 households in parts of Frome.

However, later this year it will expand to a further 20,000 properties in the eastern half of the county.

The homes involved in the extension will receive written notice in the coming months.

Flexible plastics, which include bread bags, cheese wrappers and salad bags, are currently some of the hardest items to recycle, despite taking up a sizeable chunk of household waste.

Due to the limitations of the existing Somerset waste depots, the extension is likely to be restricted to properties serviced by the Evercreech depot near Shepton Mallet, which processes recycling from the former Mendip and South Somerset districts.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the government has been running a pilot scheme since April 2022, with three local authorities collecting flexible plastics from the kerbside for processing and recycling.

Flexible plastics, which include bread bags, cheese wrappers and salad bags, are currently some of the hardest items to recycle, despite taking up a sizeable chunk of household waste

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs - Defra - had previously indicated that it wishes for all local authorities to collect flexible plastics at the kerbside by March 2027.

Confirming the trails extension at a council's climate and plate scrutiny committee on 17 January, environmental officer Mike Cowdell said that the initial trial in Frome had "yielded impressive results", with 65% of the selected households participating and "very low contamination rates".

He said there had been "no issues incorporating this material into the existing waste collection infrastructure" and "restrictions placed on refuse bin capacity through three-weekly collections also make this an attractive service to residents, as well as allowing them to further participate in recycling as much as they can".

However, Councillor Martin Dimery, who chaired the meeting, said "it's very clever and assertive" to "have chosen Frome to begin this trial, knowing that we're all very conscientious Green councillors there".

"The bags are marked so you know what you're putting in there - it's quite clear what you have to do. But it does rely on conscientious approaches by the householders.

"Provided you can get that mentality into people, I don't see why this shouldn't be a success," he added.