Peasedown Environment Group (PEG) has had to alter aspects of its recycling scheme due to changes in scheduling with partner Terracycle.

PEG has collected waste material for recycling through Terracycle for the last four years, and over that time it has collected more than one ton of material, with the biggest type being crisp and snack packets.

A total of 380kg of packets have been collected, saved by members of the community and brought into PEG each month.

However, changes in recycling patterns are coming up, which has meant that the sponsoring companies for the crisp scheme have decided to end it.

This means that PEG has now collected its final crisp packet.

These can still be recycled through the sift plastic collection points at most large supermarkets.

Over the years, PEG has collected a wide variety materials in good quantity, which would have otherwise been sent to a landfill site.

PEG will be reviewing whether to continue, but at this point the collections will continue on the fourth Thursday and Saturday of the month, starting on January 23 and 25 at Peasedown Methodist Church from 10am to 11.30am.

Items accepted include cake and biscuit wrappers, bread bags, cheese wrappers, coffee bags, Pringles tubes, pens, felt-tips and oral care products, with the exception of toothbrushes.

The group also collects spectacles for recycling by Midsomer Norton Lions, ink-jet cartridges which raise money for the carbon-offsetting charity Climate Stewards, and hand tools which go to Tools for Self Reliance.

As a one-off for this month, PEG will also accept empty Christmas chocolate tubs, including Heroes, Quality Street and Celebrations on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Care.

PEG will try and continue to recycle as much plastic packaging as possible, but is calling for further reduction of single use plastics that are made in the first place.

The group is committed to finding ways of cutting down the amount of unnecessary packaging that is used and disposed of. What they encourage above everything is for people to choose ‘loose’ items and to challenge shops that use unnecessary plastic.

PEG want to thank the people who faithfully bring items for recycling month by month, to the team which collects and sorts waste and also to Peasedown Methodist Church for providing the space for the group to work in as part of their environmental action.