1. Case Study of Somerset Waste Partnership
You will need to remember these facts for your
exam so make yourself a revision aid to help.

2. Somerset Waste Partnership
 Somerset Waste Partnership is a combination
of 5 local councils from Taunton to the Mendips
 It collects waste over the whole of Somerset
 700 households are visited per vehicle per day

3. How Often
 Weekly food waste
 Weekly dry recyclables (cans, bottles, paper, glass)
 Fortnightly refuse collection (for things that cant be
recycled)
 Fortnightly garden waste (which you have to pay for)

4. SORT IT!
 The Sort it Campaign was introduced in Oct 2004 and 160,000
households in Somerset take part.
 It is one of the best examples of a waste and recycling scheme
in the UK
 The amount of waste going into landfill in Somerset is now less
than 40%
 Total amounts of waste have reduced by 10-20%
 Refuse levels have halved

5. SORT IT!
The pie chart shows
the types of waste
being collected and
sorted for recycling
in Somerset.
You can clearly see
that people are
recycling food
waste more than
anything else.

6. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 Every household is
given a wheelie bin, a
recycling box and a food
waste box so they can
sort their waste.

7. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 Every house is given a 55
litre box for paper, glass
bottles and jars, food and
drinks cans, foil, textiles,
shoes and car batteries.
 The recycling can also be
put out in plastic bags
 Since providing the boxes
recycling has doubled to
45-49%

8. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 25 litre bin for food
waste kept outside
 Small 5 litre box that
can be kept in the
kitchen
 Since introducing this
food waste makes up
27% of all recycling in
Somerset. This is the
highest amount!

9. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 For
£25 a year in
Mendip you can
have your garden
waste taken away
every fortnight
 Youhave to put it in
sacks which are
sold for £7.50 for 10

10. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 Other waste is collected from
wheelie bins
 The bins have been reduced in
size from 240 litres to 180 litres to
encourage recycling.
 The lids of these bins must be
closed and there are no
collections of sacks. If this does
not happen the waste does not
get taken
 The fortnightly collections of this
waste restrict how much you can
put out so encourages recycling
and composting as well as
reducing costs.

11. Waste and Recycling in Somerset
 Ifyou do not sort your waste properly or
there is a problem with the waste collection,
the refuse collectors will let you know so you
can fix the problem for next time
 Ifyou do not fix the problem then you will get
a letter and then a fine to make sure that
people are sorting their waste properly.

12. What happens to the food Waste?
 Waste goes to the Viridors
Waste Management Site near
Castle Cary
 Food waste and garden waste
are mixed 50/50 and it is put in
huge containers to compost.
 After 6-10 weeks the fresh
compost is then supplied to
local farmers to use on their
fields.