More than 2.5 tonnes of waste was recycled at the recent Taunton Pride event, thanks to Somerset Council and its collections contractor SUEZ recycling and recovery.

They supported the event with 20 recycling bins and eight rubbish bins, as well as a collection service helping to keep the event clean and green.

The ‘in kind’ sponsorship was originally a suggestion from local SUEZ employees, and Somerset Council was happy to get involved with the event. The partnership has now supplied the service to Taunton Pride for the past three years.

Mike Evans, Senior Operations Manager, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said:

“We are proud to be supporting the event again for the third year running by clearing the rubbish and recycling and therefore continuing to strengthen our commitment to the local community.

“It is important for us to support local communities and the residents we collect from and so being able to help at events such as Pride is great. As well as this, any opportunity to help the public recycle is always a top priority!”

Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Transport and Waste Servies, Cllr Richard Wilkins said:

“We want Somerset to be a welcoming and caring community. We’re happy to support the event and contribute to a greener Somerset.”

Rob Ewers, Director, Taunton Pride CIC added:

“Taunton Pride takes the cleanliness of its event spaces, including Vivary Park very seriously. SUEZ have been a partner for several years now, helping us ensure that we return the park to the people of Taunton with minimal mess and disruption after our event.

“We would like to thank them for their allyship, and hope to continue working with them in future.”

Taunton Pride was held last Saturday, 21 September in Taunton’s Vivary Park.

To find out more and stay up to date with event news visit the Taunton Pride website.