BIN and recycling collection days are set to change for more than 90,000 households in Somerset.

Somerset Council is currently sending letters to 92,000 properties in the east of the county, detailing a change in waste collection dates.

The new collection routes affect homes in the former South Somerset and Mendip districts and are set to come into force from the week beginning Monday, June 17.

Changes in other parts of the county were put in place earlier this year.

The new routes are being introduced by contractor SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, who say they will make rounds “more efficient, more manageable for crews while reducing mileage and carbon emissions”, and come at no additional cost to the council.

The council said residents may have:

• a change to collection day
• a change in the week that their rubbish is collected (although will still be collected once every three weeks)
• a one-off additional collection of rubbish, to avoid residents going too long between collections

If a household’s collection days are changing, they will receive a letter in early May making it clear.

This will be followed by a service guide – including a collection day calendar – ahead of the changes beginning in June.

If a household does not get a letter in May, there will be no changes to their collection days, but all households will still receive a service guide and 12-month collections calendar near the end of the month.

Garden waste collections will continue as per the original schedule for subscribers.

There are also no changes to clinical waste collections, or communal property collections with shared collections, such as blocks of flats.

READ MORE: Extra rubbish collections in Somerset as changes come into force

During the switch, some households will have an additional one-off Saturday collection of their rubbish, on either June 15 or 22.

Details will also be in the letter they receive at the start of May.

If there is no mention of an additional one-off collection of rubbish in the letter, then the household will not need one.

Councillor Dixie Darch, executive lead member for climate and environment, said: “Changes to recycling and rubbish collections have been designed to make the routes more manageable for crews, as well as being more environmentally friendly and cost effective.

“Look out for your letter and service guide and take note of your collection day. If you don’t receive a letter this means that your day is staying the same.

“The changes come at no additional cost to the council and will help towards making the county greener and more sustainable.

“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.”

For more information on the changes, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste/reroute-of-waste-collections.