Recycling and rubbish collection days will be changing for more than 120,000 homes in Somerset in February next year.

The changes come as new collection routes are introduced by Somerset Council's contractor, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK. The new routes will make rounds more efficient, more manageable for crews whilst reducing mileage and carbon emissions.

The changes come at no cost to the council.

In February 2024, recycling and rubbish collection day schedules will change for around 85% of homes in the west of the county, covering the former Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton areas, as well as a small part of South Somerset.

Anyone with a change to their collection day schedule will be written to twice before anything changes, first with a letter in January. Roughly, three weeks after the letter arrives, residents will receive a service guide which includes a collection day calendar for the next 18 months.

It is important that residents know their new collection days – crews will not be able to come back for either recycling or refuse if you miss your new collection day.

Because some towns and villages will be covered by more than one route, days may change for some households but not others.

Residents may have:

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• a change to collection day
• a change in week that their rubbish is collected
• a one-off interim rubbish collection

There will be no changes to:

• collection days for garden waste subscribers
• clinical waste collections
• communal property collections with shared collections (such as blocks of flats, houses of multiple occupancy and retirement developments)
• schools waste collections

Changes to routes and collection days for the rest of the county – in the former Mendip and South Somerset areas – are expected to be introduced in June 2024.

Councillor Dixie Darch, Executive Lead Member for Climate and Environment said: "We're writing to every household that will have a change to their collection day. Please keep an eye out for your letter in the New Year. If you don't receive a letter this means that your day is staying the same.

"The changes will make the collections more efficient and help us to reduce carbon emissions.

"Please make a note of your new collection day and possible interim rubbish collection. Crews can't return for missed collections where bins are not out on the right day."

Further information can be found online at somerset.gov.uk/waste