A BIG change to rubbish collections in Somerset begins in June 2020 – but West Somerset must wait two years for the new system.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) is preparing to roll out its Recycle More programme, which will allow a wider range of materials to be collected at the kerbside on a weekly basis.

The roll-out is being staggered over a two-year period, with Mendip residents being the first to get the new collections.

The West Somerset area will be the fifth and final area, having to wait until February 2022 for the new programme.

Details of the roll-out were outlined at a meeting of the SWP joint scrutiny panel.

All residents will be supplied with a “reusable sack” with a 60-litre capacity to store their recycling.

In addition to materials which can already be recycled at the kerbside – such as paper, cans, glass and foil – items like plastic tubs, TetraPak cartons, batteries and small electrical items will also be collected.

The roll-out of Recycle More will be undertaken in five distinct phases:

Phase One (June 29 2020): Mendip (key settlements Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells).

Phase Two (September 28 2020): South Somerset (eastern part – Bruton, Castle Cary, Wincanton, Yeovil).

Phase Three (June 2021): South Somerset (western part) and Somerset West and Taunton (central and eastern parts – Bishops Lydeard, Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Taunton, Wellington).

Phase Four (September 2021): Sedgemoor and small parts of Mendip and Somerset West and Taunton – Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, North Petherton).

Phase Five (February 2022): Somerset West and Taunton (former West Somerset area – Minehead, Watchet, Williton).

Once Recycle More has been rolled out in a given area, refuse collections – - the large black bins for general rubbish – will be reduced from once a fortnight to once every three weeks.

Garden waste and clinical waste collections will remain unchanged. Collections from flats will also remain unchanged, although some extra materials may be collected.

For a full breakdown of what can be recycled under Recycle More, visit www.somersetwaste.gov.uk.