Residents will have a rare chance to go behind the scenes at the Evercreech recycling facility next month, as part of the national Heritage Open Days programme.

The Materials Recycling Facility, located at Evercreech Junction Industrial Estate, will open its gates on Saturday 20 September. Tours will run hourly from 10am to 2pm, giving visitors a close-up look at how recycling is sorted and processed after collection. Entry is free, but places are limited to 20 per tour and must be booked in advance.

The site, operated by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK in partnership with Somerset Council, is one of two in the county handling household recycling. The Evercreech and Taunton facilities were both upgraded between 2020 and 2022 to support the rollout of the Recycle More service. Together, they process over 70,000 tonnes of recycling annually.

Visitors to Evercreech will see how the distinctive SUEZ trucks offload materials, how mixed plastics and metals are separated, and how sorted waste is prepared for reuse. Site operatives will lead the tours, explaining each stage of the process and highlighting safety concerns, including fire risks caused by items like vapes, batteries and gas canisters being incorrectly binned.

Matt Canning, Contract Director for SUEZ, said: "We're really excited to open our doors for the third year in a row. The Heritage Open Days give the public a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to their recycling after it's collected on bin day."

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council's Executive Member for Transport and Waste Services, added: "The tours, provided by SUEZ, provide the perfect opportunity to find out that bit more about what happens to our recycling."

Bookings can be made through Eventbrite. More information is available via the Heritage Open Days website.