Home waste drops under a tonne

Somerset residents are producing less waste than ever while approval ratings for refuse and recycling services have risen.

For the first time since probably the 1980s, the average household in the county created less than a tonne of rubbish and recycling in the financial year 2011-12, according to figures from Somerset Waste Partnership.

And a survey of Somerset residents found 89% are very or fairly satisfied with their refuse collections and 88% with their recycling collections, up from a combined 84% in a 2009 poll, while satisfaction with recycling sites was 80% among those expressing an opinion.

"Household waste arisings" – the total of domestic rubbish and recycling – fell 4% to 990kgs, recycling levels stayed steady at close to 51%, and there was a reduction in household waste landfilled, which since April costs around £85 a tonne.

Cllr Derek Yeomans, Chairman of the SWP governing Board, said: "All of these figures are very encouraging. In the waste hierarchy, reduce comes before recycling: we need to go beyond recycling to actually start reducing overall levels of waste. Dropping below a tonne per household is a good start.

"I am pleased that a large majority of the people who pay for waste services are satisfied with what is being done for them. Between the kerbside collections and recycling sites, we have a great service, dedicated crews and a commitment to keep getting better."

Visit the SWP website for more on recycling and waste.