While most Somerset households can recycle small electricals at the kerbside, this option is not available to those who live in flats.

Through the two-month trial, residents of St Athelm Lodge in Wells will be able to dispose of small electrical items in a pink wheelie bin, with fortnightly collections planned by the council’s waste contractor, Suez.

It is run by the Fixy project, an initiative developed by Somerset Council and environmental consultancy Resource Futures.

The trial will be funded by not-for-profit organisation Material Focus, which is running the UK-wide ‘Recycle your Electricals’ campaign.

According to Material Focus, the UK discards 103,000 tonnes of electricals every year instead of reusing or recycling them.

Fixy coordinator Linda Hull said: ‘With over 11,000 households living in flats across Somerset, this pilot is an important first step in understanding how best to help such residents recycle their small electricals, keeping all the precious metals inside of them out of the waste stream.’

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