Collections will be a day later during the week beginning Monday 31 August.

• No collections on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August.
• Collections will be one day later for the rest of the week including those on Friday 4 September, which will now take place on Saturday 5 September.
• Recycling sites that usually open on a Monday will still be open for the bank holiday.

Usual collection day	Revised collection day
Monday 31 August	Tuesday 1 September
Tuesday 1 September	Wednesday 2 September
Wednesday 2 September	Thursday 3 September
Thursday 3 September	Friday 4 September
Friday 4 September	Saturday 5 September

Since January 2026, there have been eight fires at Somerset waste facilities or on collection vehicles, with four caused by incorrectly disposed batteries and vapes. These items can be damaged during collection and processing, causing them to overheat and ignite. 

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in everyday items such as mobile phones, laptops, power tools, toys and e-bikes. 

Please, never place loose batteries, vapes or electrical items in your general rubbish bin. 

Residents are reminded to:

• Never place loose batteries or electrical items, including those containing batteries in general waste bins.
• Use designated battery and vape recycling points, often available in supermarkets, or place them in a small, clear tied bag and leave on top of recycling boxes for kerbside collection.
• Take unwanted electrical items to local recycling centres.
• Small electrical items (excluding monitors, TVs or microwaves) can be collected from the kerbside, they should be left in carrier bags for collection.
• Residents can use the online lookup at recycleyourelectricals.org.uk for your nearest battery and electrical drop-off points.

For more information on safely recycling lithium-ion batteries and electrical items, visit our Waste pages

Temporary limit on fridge and freezer recycling

During August, Somerset recycling sites will only accept one fridge, freezer or other cooling appliance per household because of a national shortage of specialist reprocessing capacity.Residents are asked to hold off bringing these items to recycling sites if they can be stored safely, or to use retailer take-back schemes where available, especially when buying a replacement appliance.The temporary limit applies to household users only. These appliances will not be accepted from commercial users.The situation will be kept under review and may continue beyond August if national capacity remains limited.

Top up with tap water this summer

While the hot weather continues across the region, don’t forget to head out with a water bottle and stay hydrated on-the-go.Save on the cost of buying a drink in a single-use plastic bottle or can. Many shops or cafes will provide free water bottle top ups, plus there are several easy-to-access water refill points thanks to Wessex Water which have helped to save thousands of plastic bottles. Find a map of locations via their website.