Household recycling collections

Information about weekly collections for recycling and food waste

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Information about weekly collections for recycling and food waste

For most people in Somerset we will collect your recycling and food waste every week. This might be different for properties with communal collections.

You can check your collection days online here. Please include a space when entering your postcode.

Recycling helps protect our environment and our Recycling Tracker shows exactly what happens to every tonne of recycling we collect. Sorting your recycling into the correct containers helps us recycle more material in the UK .

Full details on what items are collected on our recycling collections

Bright Blue Bag

Box 1 (usually black)

Box 2 (usually green)

Note: If you produce little recycling, you can put it all in one box.

Food waste bin

All food waste, cooked or raw.

Plastic bags (not black sacks)

Textiles like bedding, curtains, blankets and throws are not collected at the kerbside (good quality clothes, shoes and textiles can be taken to recycling sites).

Sorry, we can't take these in your recycling

Recycling guidance

Only use carrier bags for wearable clothes and shoes, shredded paper, small electricals items or batteries.

Never use black sacks for recycling as they may be mistaken for rubbish.

We do not supply lids for recycling boxes. To assist with storage between collections, stretch covers are available to buy. See stretch covers for boxes.

Security and identity theft

While much of the concern about identity theft has moved to the risks of online cybercrime, in the past the police have warned about suspicious individuals spotted looking through recycling boxes at night.

As the police and government advise, householders should take steps to avoid fraud or identity theft. Credit cards and similar items must be fully cut up, while documents that could be misused should be destroyed, preferably by shredder.

These can include bank statements, credit card receipts, utility and tax bills, pay slips, old driving licences or passports, as well as CVs and items with signatures or National Insurance numbers.

Even seemingly innocuous material – such as received mail with your name and address – can be misused when combined with other forms of ID.

Shredded paper can be left out in a tied carrier bag,

If large amounts of papers need destruction, residents may wish to use our business directory and other sources to find companies offering confidential waste services.

More on ID risk can be found at the National Fraud and Cybercrime Reporting Centre

Last reviewed: June 7, 2023 by Sophie

Next review due: December 7, 2023