Residents of flats in Somerset to receive food waste collections

From 31 March about 13,000 households in Somerset flats will receive caddies and leaflets so food waste can be recycled, and soft plastics and food cartons will be added to fortnightly collections.

From 31 March residents of flats in Somerset will be able to recycle food waste using council-provided caddies and will receive information leaflets. The change follows a nationwide move to give flat residents the same recycling options as those in houses. Soft plastics and food cartons will also be collected from flats, in addition to items already recycled at flats such as paper, card, plastic, glass and aerosols. Somerset Council will issue new communal wheelie bins with different coloured lids to help with separation. Key details: - About 13,000 flat households in Somerset will be sent food waste caddies and information leaflets. - From 31 March residents are expected to empty their council-provided food waste caddies into a communal bin, which will be collected weekly. - Soft plastics and food cartons will have new fortnightly collections; recycling of soft plastics will not be mandatory until 2027. - Somerset Council already collects paper, card, plastic, glass and aerosols from flats. - The changes are funded by the UK government's Simpler Recycling programme. Summary: The changes extend recycling services at flats by adding weekly food waste collections and fortnightly pickups for soft plastics and cartons, while keeping existing recycling streams in place. The council has provided new communal bins with coloured lids to help separation and notes the programme is funded through the Simpler Recycling initiative.