Drop off garden waste, and much more
May 11, 2012Somerset’s recycling network has sites available seven days a week to take household waste for recycling or disposal, including bulky and hazardous items.
Among the materials taken at every recycling site is garden waste, including:
- Flowers, plants and garden weeds
- Grass cuttings, leaves and hedge trimmings
- Small branches (less than 10cm or 4 inches width; larger branches should be placed in the “natural wood” skip)
- Straw or sawdust (if bedding material, then only from vegetarian pets)
These items should not be included in garden waste: plastic bags, flower pots, plant labels, kitchen food waste, stones, rubble, soil, large branches or logs, or the weeds Japanese Knotweed and Common Ragwort.
Each recycling site is open 40 hours a week across five days, with weekday opening staggered to always offer residents an alternative.
All sites are free to enter, except for four sites that have £2 entry fees to help prevent their closure: Coleford, Crewkerne, Dulverton and Middlezoy.
It is free to deposit household waste. All sites accept 30 materials for recycling, including batteries and cans, paper and wood, cooking oil and electrical appliances. Some recycling sites take additional materials, such as beverage cartons, books, window glass and plasterboard.
Only four materials not defined as household waste – hardcore, soil, tyres and gas bottles – attract charges at recycling sites, starting at £2.90.
To maximise recycling and limit congestion, recycling site visitors are advised to pre-sort their materials. And residents are asked to check in advance if they have hazardous items or materials, such as asbestos, that will require special handling or protective wrapping.
If you would prefer to have your garden waste collected at your kerbside every fortnight in either a wheeled bin or paper sacks, contact your district council customer services to arrange a paid-for garden waste collection.
All of Somerset’s garden waste from kerbside collections and recycling sites is shredded and composted in long rows, called windrows, which are kept at correct levels of warmth and moisture for weeks to create the Revive soil conditioner sold at every recycling site. Screens remove any remaining large woody bits, which are used to help turn food waste into agriculture fertilizer.
Garden waste can be home composted, which is the best option with most environmental benefits. It should not be put out with rubbish for refuse collections, as it will then be dumped in costly landfill and give off greenhouse gases.