Recycling is collected every week.
Most households are given two recycling boxes. We only collect from these boxes.
The only exception is groups of properties with communal waste and recycling areas.
Recycling
Recycling boxes
Did you know...
Discarded electrical items are one of the fastest growing waste streams in the UK and globally there are over 50 million tonnes thrown away each year.
In North Somerset we collect small electricals with a plug, battery or cable if you bag it and place on top of your recycling box on collection day.
Find out more on the recycle your electricals website.
We now provide two different coloured recycling boxes (green and black) to residents who request new or replacement boxes, to help you sort your recycling.
Put your house number on your boxes to help us return them to the correct property.
Sorting your recycling
Please sort your recycling into box one and box two as described below and separate the materials inside each box.
Did you know it takes around 20 seconds to empty a sorted recycling box, but a jumbled box takes about two minutes
Stack your boxes with the food waste caddy on top to prevent items from blowing away.
Sorting your recycling helps the crew to collect it more quickly. Quicker collections will reduce traffic delays and help to reduce congestion.
It will also help the crews to clearly see all the items in your bin, reducing contamination and increasing the quality of the recycling collected.
Better quality recycling has a higher value when sold on to be recycled. This helps to subsidise the cost of collections and helps to keep Council Tax lower.
Box one (green)
- plastic – all rigid white, clear, coloured or opaque plastic packaging
- metal – including foil, tins, cans, lids from jars and tin trays
- paper – including wrapping paper and Yellow Pages
- textiles, clothes and shoes (tied in pairs) which are suitable for reuse
- spectacles
- aerosols
Put textiles in a carrier bag in the box. Spectacles should be placed separately inside the box. Keep paper separate from your plastic and metal packaging.
Box two (black)
- all types of cardboard (flattened)
- cartons including tetrapaks (wash and squash)
- glass bottles and jars (rinse and make sure they are visible in your box and not in plastic bags)
- batteries
- mobile phones
- small electrical appliances – including all household appliances and IT/telecommunications equipment smaller than a standard domestic toaster – for example toasters, radios, clocks, laptops, keyboards, computer mouse, irons, watches, hair dryers, telephones
Cardboard and cartons may be mixed together but should be separate from glass. Place batteries separately into a clear plastic bag inside the box.
If you only have one box please use untied carrier bags to separate materials so we can collect more quickly.
Items we don’t collect
- flat glass, broken glass, pyrex, drinking glasses and light bulbs
- black plastic
- polystyrene (non-rigid expanded or foam types)
- plastic film, plastic wrapping and carrier bags
- spray paint or lighter fluid containers
- car batteries
- nappies
- business waste
- crisp packets
- saucepans
- tissues and paper towels
Recycling is sorted by hand. If these items are in your box we won’t empty it but will leave a note to explain why.
Recycling box nets
Recycling box nets are a great way to stop litter blowing around in the wind. They are available to buy for £2 at all of our libraries, the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare and at our Castlewood offices in Clevedon.
You can also buy a box net online from the Bins Direct website for £2.99