HOUSEHOLDERS across Sedgemoor and West Somerset will be able to recycle more items in their weekly kerbside collections from next Monday (February 28).

At the same time, rubbish collections will be made every three weeks rather than fortnightly.

Somerset Waste Partnership is advising people to check their calendars telling them when to put out their recycling and rubbish, with around two-thirds of people having a change of collection day.

Around 7,000 homes will get an extra rubbish collection on Saturday (February 26) to ensure no-one has a gap of three weeks between collections, including some households in Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, Middlezoy, Othery, Westonzoyland, Brompton Regis, Brushford, Dulverton and Watchet.

Another 5,000 homes will get an extra collection on Saturday, March 5, including some in Cannington, Cheddar, Shipham, Highbridge and West Huntspill.

Homes have received Bright Blue Bags for use from their first new collection day.

Around two-thirds of households will have a change of collection day, so everyone needs to check the collection day calendar in their “Recycle More is coming soon” leaflet.

Collection day information is also available on the somersetwaste.gov.uk website.

Recycle More adds the following to weekly collections: plastic pots, tubs and trays; food and drink cartons, small household electrical items and batteries.

The Bright Blue Bag should be used for:

  • Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays (rinsed and squashed/nested);
  • Tins and cans (rinsed and crushed if safe to do so);
  • Aerosols (empty);
  • Foil (rinsed).

What goes into each recycling container will change:

  • Green box – glass bottles and jars, and cartons (including Tetra Pak);
  • Black box – paper and card;
  • Brown food waste bin – all food waste.

Household electricals can go into an untied carrier bag placed on top of recycling. The bags will be returned. Small batteries should go into tied bread bags, freezer or similar see-through bags.

With Recycle More, SWP will also improve recycling for homes with shared or communal collections such as blocks of flats and homes of multiple occupancy.

These improvements are scheduled for late June or early July and what is possible will depend on space and access at each site.

SWP is hosting Facebook Q&A days about the new service. The last one is on Wednesday, March 16, from 7am to 7pm.

Visit @somersetwaste and post questions as comments once the session has started.