The Somerset Council has confirmed that 100% of plastic collected from households through the recycling sites in 2022 was recycled in the UK.

The council revealed that it collected 6,500 tonnes of plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, all of which, were sent to UK companies for conversion into new products and packaging.

These plastics are recyclable with kerbside collections using the Bright Blue Bag.

The domestic recycling rate for 2022 increased from 99.4% in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Somerset Council will release its annual Recycling Tracker, which shows what happens to every tonne of household waste and where they ended,

Somerset Council environment and climate change executive lead member councillor Dixie Darch said: “We want to lead the way and act responsibly to protect our environment, helping make Somerset a greener and more sustainable county. We are transparent about where our waste goes as a county and are proud to say that all the plastic collected stayed in the UK.

“Letting people know what happens to the recycling they sort has been shown to be a great motivator to get people recycling more, which is why Somerset was the first area to publish this kind of detail every year.

“Responsibly reprocessing our waste is a priority, but we also want to back efforts to reduce the amount of waste we are producing. Recycling is great, but reducing and reusing is even better.”

In April 2023, Somerset Council revealed plans to launch a plastic bag and wrapping collection trial starting in May 2023.