To find out about your collections, click on the Borough or District Council area that you live in:

• Mendip
• Sedgemoor
• South Somerset
• Taunton Deane
• West Somerset

Why Change?

The Somerset authorities have introduced new services because:

Financial reasons:

For every tonne of waste landfilled, the County Council has to pay a landfill tax (this is in addition to the actual cost of landfill). At present this tax is £32 per tonne (from April 1st 2008). The Government has stated that this will rise by £8 per tonne each year until it surpasses £48 per tonne – a significant increase in the cost of landfilling waste.

The Government has also placed restrictions on the amount of biodegradable waste (any material which rots) that is sent to landfill after 2005. If we exceed the restriction we will be fined an estimated £150 per tonne. This is on top of the landfill tax, and the actual cost of landfill.

Environmental reasons:

When buried in a landfill site, organic materials break down to release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and a liquid (leachate) that is potentially hazardous.

The Government has set recycling targets to divert waste away from less sustainable options such as landfill.

Pledge to recycle!
Join over 2,300 people in Somerset who have pledged to recycle