Residents across North Somerset recycled more than ever before over the festive period while non-recyclable waste barely increased at all. North Somerset Council has analysed the different types of waste collected between Monday 17 December and Friday 18 January and the results are very encouraging.

An extra 894 tonnes of extra recycling were collected compared with the average for the rest of the year. This is 158 more tonnes than the 2017/18 festive period. The busiest day for the recycling crews was Thursday 27 December when the recycling they collected increased by 90 per cent.

Meanwhile, non-recyclable black bin waste only increased by seven tonnes compared with the rest of year average. This is 361 tonnes less than the 2017-18 festive period. The average daily increase in the additional non-recyclable waste was 0.36 per cent over usual levels compared with the 23 per cent increase the previous year.

Collection dates have now returned to normal following the festive period and crews will be collecting real Christmas trees from households registered for the garden waste service until Friday 1 February. Residents can check their next collection date on the council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/calendar. Trees can also be taken to the recycling centres at Backwell, Portishead or Weston-super-Mare for composting.