Somerset Council asks residents to “help keep crews safe”

The plea comes following a spate of kitchen knives being found in the bright blue bag for recycling.

In just the last few weeks, at least 15 knives have been found by the team on their picking line. The knives are a serious risk for the crews collecting recycling from the kerb and then at the sorting facility.

Knives cannot be recycled from home and should be handled carefully when being disposed of. Residents wishing to get rid of old kitchen knives should wrap them up, or place in a cardboard box, then bag up with their general waste and add to the bin.

Kitchen knives can also be disposed of at a recycling centre by placing in the recycling skip for metals.

Councillor Richard Wilkins Somerset Council Lead Member for Transport and Waste said:

“Please help to keep our crews and members of the public safe.’’

“Knives should never be placed in the bright blue recycling bag, or recycling boxes. Please help to keep everyone safe by disposing of knives carefully.”

Matthew Canning, Contract Director at SUEZ said:

“It is a real concern that we have seen an increase in knives found in the sorting facility. All of the items have come in through residents putting them in the bright blue bag.

“We understand that residents might be trying to do the right thing, but it poses a serious health and safety risk to our staff. Please help keep our staff safe and check what can and cannot be placed in the bright blue bag!”

Alongside kitchen knives, crews have also found items including: epi pens, small electricals, gas canisters, loose batteries, cutlery, and cookware like pots and pans, none of which should be put in the bright blue recycling bag. All of these items pose a serious threat to the staff and the facility.

• Clinical waste, including epi pens or hypodermic needles can be collected for free via a clinical waste collection.
• Small electricals (such as a toaster, hairdryer or cables) can be collected from the kerbside, but they should be put in a carrier bag and placed next to recycling boxes and not loose in the blue bag.
• Batteries can be collected from the kerbside, but should be put in a small tied bag (such as a bread bag) and placed on top of recycling boxes.
• Gas canisters cannot be recycled kerbside, but can be taken to a recycling site.
• Cutlery, pots and pans can be taken to a recycling site, or if usable, consider taking to a charity shop or offering on sites such as Freegle or Gumtree.

To check what can be collected as part of kerbside recycling, visit: somerset.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste/recycling-collections/