Eat the egg – Recycle the packaging

No yolk: your Easter days and waste Thanks to the new Recycle More service, most Easter egg packaging can be recycled kerbside or at any recycle site. Flatten card and put it in your black recycle box, scrunch aluminium foil and add to the Bright Blue Bag with clear plastic egg moulds.

Sweet and chocolate bar wrappers, plastic bags and plastic-foil pouches, and similar thin-soft plastics cannot yet be recycled kerbside or at recycle sites.

But most of these can go to Co-op, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s supermarkets. See our plastics guide: somersetwaste.gov.uk/act-on- plastics. And check if any ribbons, bells, baskets, tags or Easter egg “free” gifts – mugs, toys and so on – can be recycled.

As usual, Easter means changes to waste days. Good Friday 15 April pick-ups

move to Saturday 16 April, and with no collections Easter Monday 18 April, all Easter week pick-ups are one day later, including Friday collections on Saturday 23 April. And note that bank holiday Monday May 2 means all that week’s collections are a day later, including Friday pick-ups on Saturday 7 May.

To see, download, print or add to a smart device all your “days” – recycling, rubbish and garden – visit My Collection Day at somersetwaste.gov.uk (tip: postcode gap AB12 3CD).

Eat better and save food

Make the most of Easter family meals:

  • Write shopping lists and plan portions
  • Turn your fridge down to 5°C or lower
  • Keep an eye on food use-by dates
  • Eat it all, from the roots to the shoots
  • Use up all those tasty leftovers
  • Keep stored food in eat-next order
  • Freeze now what you will not eat

Garden waste I: bargain compost bins Got a garden or allotment? Make good use of food waste by composting all you can, from veg peelings to tea leaves.

To help get you started, we work with getcomposting.com to offer Somerset residents cut-price deals, such as a 220- litre bin for just £13.00. Save again with the buy-one-get-one-half-price offer and delivery at just £6.99 per order. Why not order two and share delivery with a friend, neighbour or relative?

Guaranteed for seven years, the bins are made from recycled plastic and require no assembly. More garden help here: somersetwaste.gov.uk/home- composting.

Garden waste II: prices frozen

You can start a new or additional 12- month garden waste collection at any time during the year via My Waste Services at somersetwaste.gov.uk and prices have been frozen so a single 180- litre bin subscription still costs £57.20,

While a 10-pack of 90-litre garden waste sacks – useful for extra waste, new projects or when a full subscription is not needed – remains £28.30.

So many ways to never miss out

To know all the news about your bin days, changes to your local recycle site, what new materials you can recycle and where, plus much more on saving money, materials and time, do not miss out – get on the inside track with many of your neighbours and friends.

Join more than 18,000 following facebook.com/somersetwaste, find the essentials with 3,000 others at twitter.com/somersetwaste, check our website and sign up now – scroll down at somersetwaste.gov.uk to the green button – to be among 11,000 receiving the SORTED! monthly e-newsletter direct to their inbox. Finally, if you are on NextDoor, watch out for our news.

Somerset Waste Board

SWP’s governing body has two members from each partner council: Mendip Cllrs Peter Goater, Tom Ronan; Sedgemoor Cllrs Andrew Gilling, Janet Keen; Somerset County Cllrs David Hall, Clare Paul (Vice Chair); Somerset West and Taunton Cllrs David Mansell, Andrew Sully; South Somerset Cllrs Sarah Dyke (Chair), Tim Kerley. SWB agendas: somersetwaste. gov.uk/somerset-waste-board

Information on SWP services SWP manages waste services for all Somerset councils. On social media,

follow @Somersetwaste. Advice and ezine sign-up: somersetwaste.gov.uk