Parts of Somerset including Shepton Mallet will begin to have their refuse bins collected once every three weeks from next month.

At the same time more items will be collected in recycling collections which will contine to take place every week.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) is gearing up for its new Recycle More scheme.

It due to begin being rolled out across Somerset in late-June, but was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a revised roll-out being agreed by the SWP board on July 31.

The first homes in Somerset will begin receiving the new service on October 26, with the remainder of the county gradually getting the new system in place over the following 18 months.

A total of 51,768 households in Mendip will be in the first phase of the roll-out – including those in Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street, Wells and the neighbouring villages.

As part of the roll-out, five depots across Somerset are being upgraded – beginning with the Evercreech depot, which will handle Mendip's waste.

South Somerset will be the next area to benefit, with the entire district (comprising 76,653 households) receiving the new service from June 28, 2021.

The former Taunton Deane area (now part of Somerset West and Taunton) will have Recycle More in place for all 55,207 households from September 27, 2021 – though this could be pushed back to October 25 if there are logical issues.

The remaining 72,312 households in Somerset (comprising Sedgemoor and the former West Somerset area) will begin new collections from February 28, 2022 – though this could be pushed back to March 28 if needs must.

Speaking in July, SWP managing director Mickey Green said: "We expect this scheme to take our recycling rate to around 60 per cent, and to reduce the amount of residual waste from around 480kg per household to 418kg per household – with this residual waste being used to create energy, rather than going into landfill."

As part of the roll-out, every household in Somerset will be issued with a 60-litre reusable sack (dubbed the 'bright blue bag'), to ensure they have enough space for their additional recycling.

Councillor Sarah Dyke, chair of the SWP board, said: "Most people in Somerset are recycling. We want to make it easier for everyone to recycle even more, protecting our environment, helping tackle climate change and saving taxpayers' money.

"This will be a major step forward and show the commitment of all partners to addressing the climate change agenda.

"There is a lot if enthusiasm out there for this change which will help every resident recycle far more, throw away much less, and have a smaller carbon footprint."

For more information on the Recycle More roll-out, visit the Somerset Waste site