The first two months of Recycle More saw nearly 700 tonnes of extra recycling collected from Mendip's kerbsides, Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) has revealed, as it unveils plans to bring the scheme to communal buildings in Wells like flats.

The 15 per cent jump for all recycling in the first eight weeks included 73 tonnes of extra plastic, which is a 25 per cent increase, and the equivalent of more than 14 double-decker buses in terms of space.

Launched at the end of October, the expanded recycling service added plastic pots, tubs and trays to weekly collections, along with cartons and Tetra Paks, and small household electricals and batteries.

The eight-week figures also show that 138 extra tonnes of glass (up 13 per cent) and 172 extra tonnes of food waste (up 12 per cent) were collected from the Mendip kerbsides.

Alongside that were 13 tonnes of small electrical items and two tonnes of household batteries, which had been never collected before.

In March, expanded recycling will be introduced for properties with communal collections – places like flats, houses of multiple occupancy and retirement villages where recycling and rubbish are collected from a shared space.

Wherever possible householders will be offered the same weekly kerbside collections in terms of items as the rest of the district.

Where this is not possible for all householders on a site, they will get an expanded communal collection.

This will add plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and cardboard to fortnightly collections, meaning the only items they will not be able to recycle from home will be cartons and Tetra Paks, small household electricals and batteries, and wearable clothes and shoes.

Around 3,200 households are involved and are due to receive an information postcard in the coming days, followed by a letter in late February explaining exactly how things will change for them.

Mickey Green, SWP managing director, said: "Improving things for people with communal collections is the final part of the Mendip Recycle More puzzle.

"We're delighted with the way the district has embraced the new service and our crews also deserve a huge amount of credit, dealing with a new service as well as the huge amount of extra waste caused by Covid and Christmas.

"Most people in Somerset are recycling, and this is all about making it easier for everyone to recycle even more, helping protect the environment."