Overall, Somerset recycled and reused 149,980 tonnes, pushing its recycling rate up from 52.4% to 56.2%, the highest it has ever been. That equates to saving 133,000 tonnes of carbon saved – the same as taking 51,409 cars off the road for a year – and is up 10,000 tonnes on the previous year’s figures.
Tonnages of plastics have soared to 5,771, up from 4,359, thanks in large part to the inclusion of plastic pots, tubs and trays in Recycle More kerbside collections.
An impressive 97.2% of material stayed in the UK to be turned into new products and packaging, including 99.4% of plastics.
These impressive figures are down to the excellent kerbside sorting by Somerset’s residents. The more materials are correctly sorted into the right container, the less contaminated our recycling is and the easier it is to get recycled closer to home.
