Plastics and wood to be accepted at Street Recycling Centre from next week

Street Recycling Centre will accept more materials from next week.

From Monday June 8, the centre will take plastic pots, tubs and trays; waste wood (man-made or natural); small household electrical items (such as toasters); and paint.

This is as well as the other materials already being accepted as the centre moves back towards business as usual after it was closed due to Covid-19.

Any items you would usually pay to have disposed of will not be accepted, such as commercial waste, tyres, gas bottles, soil and hardcore, vehicle parts, plasterboard and asbestos.

The site is now open for its usual summer hours and the odd and even number plate access system is no longer in place.

Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) is advising people only to come to the site if they really need to.

Long queues are expected, especially first thing in the morning, as the number of unloading bays has been reduced to allow social distancing. Other access restrictions remain in place:

• Maximum of two people per household
• Gloves must be worn
• Strict social distancing
• Trailers and 3.5 tonne vans only allowed access 4pm to 6pm weekdays.

Mickey Green, managing director at SWP, said: "This is another big step forward and we thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding.

"Social distancing measures will remain for the foreseeable future, so the advice remains to only come if you really need to because you may find yourself facing a lengthy wait.

"We're all trying to get back to as close to normal as possible, and in Somerset that means great recycling.

"Most people in Somerset recycle and that helps protect our environment and tackle climate change.

"Recycling everything you can and making sure it's properly sorted into the containers helps us reuse and recycle more than 130,000 tonne of waste each year, of which more than 90 per cent stays in the UK."

The full list of materials taken at Somerset recycling sites from Monday:

• Rubbish – material you would usually put in your black rubbish bin, excess black bags not taken by kerbside collections (landfilled in Somerset)
• Bulky items, such as furniture and mattresses (landfilled in Somerset)
• Garden waste (composted in Somerset)
• Large household electrical items – white goods, TVs, etc (recycled in UK)
• Small household electrical items – irons, toaster, etc (recycled in UK)
• Hazardous household chemicals, such as solvents, garden chemicals, paint thinners and antifreeze (treated and disposed of in UK)
• Cooking oil and engine oil, in disposable containers of up to five litres (recycled in UK)
• Scrap metal (recycled in UK)
• Plastic pots, tubs and trays (recycled in UK)
• Paint (water-based recycled in UK; other paint landfilled)
• Man-made wood - chipboard, MDF, etc (recycled in UK)
• Natural wood - untreated timber, tree trunks, etc (recycled in UK)

Access to most recycling skips is not possible. Unless you really need to, do not bring materials that can go in the continuing weekly recycling collections (these will temporarily be landfilled).

Engine idling fines

Meanwhile, drivers could soon be fined £100 for leaving their engine running in car parks or other public locations in Street, including the recycling centre.

Mendip District Council is exploring various options to improve the district's air quality as part of its plans to become carbon-neutral by 2030.

As part of an effort to improve quality of life, signs will be erected in public areas to discourage people from idling their engines, and threatening fines if they did not comply.

The council said it was also working with SWP to roll out these signs at the recycling centres in Street, Dulcote and Frome.

The proposals were discussed at a virtual meeting of the council's cabinet on Monday evening (June 1).

Councillor Heather Shearer, portfolio holder for community health services, said various options were being explored at the present time.

She said in her written report: "Signs discouraging idling are already being produced for display in main council car parks.

"We will explore implementation in other council car parks and at sensitive locations such as schools, nurseries and hospitals.

"We will explore use of enforcement through community protection warnings. Fixed penalty notices are being considered, as the fine for persistent offenders is £100.

"This is considered more cost-effective than the ability to fine £20 by adopting idling as a statutory offence, as this requires investment in enforcement officers to witness breaches on the spot."

A further update on the issue of engine idling and emissions will come back to the cabinet in September.