Happy Halloween and bonfire night
All Hallows’ Eve and bonfire night are great opportunities for every family in Somerset to waste less and save money, cut plastic and recycle more, stay safe and eat better, and to even reduce their all-important carbon footprint.
Dodge the horror of bills, full rubbish bins and supermarket plastic tat for recyclable outfits from cardboard, old sheets, charity shop bargain clothes and plenty of childish creativity, and take the smart step to reject shop-bought sweets for cheaper and healthier (but always allergy-aware) home-made treats.
Check recipes – savoury pies to sweet cakes – from lovefoodhatewaste.com and hubbub.org.uk/how-to-eat- pumpkin to use all that pumpkin flesh and seeds for tasty snacks (and keep a few seeds to grow free future ghoulish
gourds). Add all waste food – every last scrap – and the sagging pumpkin itself, to your food waste bin to go off to make electricity and farm compost at Somerset’s anaerobic digestion plant. Or add your pumpkin to your compost bin.
Caution is vital for November’s bonfires and fireworks to help noise-nervy pets and shelter-seeking wildlife, and to protect your home and family from a highly dangerous bin blaze. Drench or allow embers and ash to completely cool. Soak spent fireworks then add them to your rubbish bin. Soak misfired fireworks overnight and seek disposal guidance from maker or supplier.
Winter hours for recycle sites
Recycle site winter hours mean they are all now operating 9am-4pm weekends and, when open, 9am-5pm weekdays. More: somersetwaste.gov.uk/allatall.
Never not busy Fixy
The Fixy reuse van is criss-crossing the county to visit towns and villages, businesses, festivals and schools to promote fixing, support repair cafes and collect smart tech for reuse. Find Fixy at:
- Sat29Oct 11-2 – Bridgwater Repair Café, Engine Room, 50-52 High Street
- Sat5Nov 10-12.30 – Repair Café Wells, St Thomas’ Church Hall BA5 2UZ
Upcoming repair cafés include:
- Mon+Thu 10-12, Sat 10-1 – Ilminster Share and Repair, 18 Silver Street
- Tue 10-11.30 – Sewing Repair Hub, 9 Fore Street, Chard TA20 1PP
- Sat29Oct 9-12 – General Repair Hub, 9 Fore Street, Chard TA20 1PP
- Sat29Oct 10-12 – Porlock Vale Repair Café, Wootton Courtenay Village Hall
- Sat5Nov 10-1 – High Littleton Repair Café, Holy Trinity Church Hall BS39 6HG
- Sat5Nov 10-12 – Wellington Repair Café, Baptist Church Hall, South Street More: somersetwastgov.uk/fixy.
Tick, tock … clocks back 30 October
On Sunday 30 October clocks go back one hour, a good excuse to check smoke detectors, batteries, bulbs, plugs and Christmas lights. All electrical items, low-energy bulbs with unbroken glass and batteries can go to recycle sites.
With kerbside recycling, put out small electrical items in carrier-size bags, and household batteries in small clear bags.
Order your bargain compost bin now
Great deals mean a 220-litre bin for just
£16.00, and you can buy-one-get-one- half-price, plus £6.99 delivery per order. Order at: getcomposting.com.
Clearing your garden for winter?
Start or restart a garden waste collection on any date for a full 25-collection 12- month service. For orders until 31 March 2023, a 180-litre bin service is £57.20, and a 10-pack of 90-litre garden waste sacks is £28.30, both via “Garden waste” on the My Waste Services menu at somersetwaste.gov.uk.
Waste less time, do more online With My Waste Services 24/7 at somersetwaste.gov.uk, you can:
- Log missed collections after 7pm
- Order any recycle container free
- Order paid bulky waste pick-up
- Sort clinical/assisted collections
- Pay for asbestos/plasterboard
- Get recycle site van/trailer permit
- Send comments about services
Question: how do you reduce? Somerset’s first Reduce Week is coming up fast; it takes place from Monday 21 November to Sunday 27 November (yes, around Black Friday’s overspendfest and Buy Nothing Day). We want to hear your ideas on how to reduce waste, from tips on using up food to hints about buying better for Christmas and ways to cut out unnecessary packaging. Share them on facebook.com/somersetwaste or NextDoor when you see “how do you reduce?” posts or email them to [email protected] by 27 November. Your best ideas will be featured on our website, social media and beyond, and go into a free prize draw for a refurbished tablet or laptop.
Next time: Reduce Week, Christmas trees, festive dates and waste priorities.