Catch up begins on Monday

Waste services will start getting back to usual on Monday after several days of severe weather disruption.

Kerbside collections – recycling and rubbish – are restarting from 7am and running until late to catch up, and all 16 recycling sites will open from 8am.

Anyone whose kerbside collection was missed last week, and residents who have a Monday collection, should put all their bins and boxes out by 7am and leave them out later.

The only exceptions are clinical waste, which needs to be put out the night before for early morning collections, and garden waste, the collection of which is still suspended so those trucks can be diverted to collect rubbish.

If there are areas that cannot be reached on Monday due to the continuing weather and road conditions, those households should put their waste out at the kerbside again on Tuesday by 7am.

Anyone with excess waste is advised – if they have space – to store that and add it to future collections, or – if they have time and transport – to take all their waste to any recycling site.

As usual on Mondays, the “big five” recycling sites – Bridgwater, Frome, Minehead, Taunton, Yeovil – will be open 8am to 4pm, while all the other 11 sites will be open 8am to late night 7pm.

Bulky waste collections due on Monday will be collected; missed bulky waste collections from last week will be contacted soon to rearrange pick-up times.

Updates will be posted on SWP’s website at www.somersetwaste.gov.uk, and on the SomersetWaste Facebook page and Twitter feed.

SWP praised Kier and Viridor staff for their “incredible effort” in “challenging conditions” last week, completing almost all work on Thursday before the weather closed in.

Those with delayed collections from last week are advised not to call council customer services, as their locations will be known, and so the lines can be kept free to assist the vulnerable.

All those putting out waste this week is urged to ensure containers are clear of any snow, with rubbish bin lids closed, and recycling materials sorted and segregated in boxes.