2003-17

The following are public reports, for which I was a contributor or author, covering some projects during my time at Somerset Waste Partnership (click on links to view or download). These cover improvements to recycling from collecting food waste and more materials and from collecting refuse less frequently. Also covered are benefits from notices on refuse bins and the joint management of services through Somerset Waste Partnership.

Recycle More with 3-weekly refuse collections

2017 – Information sheet (53 KB) on other local authorities with less frequent refuse collections (please send new information for updates).

2016 – Final report (745 KB) on future Recycle More collections for Somerset.

2015 – Report (262 KB) with assessment of options with costs appraisal by Eunomia.

2015 – Report (487 KB) on results from Recycle More trials.

2014 – Leaflet (664 KB) with guidance for householders on Recycle More trials.

Plastic Film Collection Trials

2015 – Report (4.5 MB)

2015 – Service leaflet (754 KB)

Improving food waste collections – increasing yields

2016 – Slides (6.9 MB) presented at the LARAC Conference 2016 on food waste collections in Somerset and results of improvement trials (the 20% increase achieved in food waste yields was still on-going at the time I stopped working at SWP in March 2017).

2015 – Report (111 KB) on trials funded by WRAP to test interventions to increase food waste yields through communications, stickers on refuse bins and free caddy liners.

Waste Composition – more to recycle

2012 – Report (61 KB) on waste trends in Somerset and the composition of refuse, following the roll-out of Sort It Plus, which showed half was recyclable through current services and at least three-quarters was potentially recyclable.

Sort It Plus – adding cardboard and plastic bottles

2009 – Slides (6.1 MB) on final new single-pass recycling collection vehicle for food waste and recycling from May Gurney (previously ECT Recycling).

2008 – Slides (5.4 MB) on trial results and new designs for kerbside sort collection vehicles, including from Bryson Recycling and a WRAP concept.

2008 – Final report (885 KB) on collection trials, reporting findings and comparing costs for different options to add cardboard and plastic bottles to collections.

Somerset Waste Partnership – joint team and contracts

2007 – Case study (532 KB) on the new single officer team in two-tier Somerset and the combined collections contract for all five districts.

Sort It Collections – weekly recycling and food waste with fortnightly refuse

2004/7 – Information pack (2.4 MB) on Somerset’s Sort It collections, which were the first in the UK to fully roll-out separate weekly food waste, alongside fortnightly refuse and enhanced dry recycling collections.