PEOPLE in Taunton Deane and West Somerset are being advised to get their recycling and refuse out at the kerbside by 7am to catch time-only improvements to collection routes from next Monday (February 2).

The day of collection at each household is remaining the same, but the time when recycling or refuse trucks arrive could well be far earlier to maintain reliability as waste levels rise.

The efficiency revisions will affect hundreds of homes across Taunton Deane and West Somerset, including those with assisted collections.

Households in Sedgemoor are not affected in any way by these changes.

In West Somerset, those villages affected by the diversions due to the Dunster roadworks have already been advised that all kerbside containers must be out by 7am.

A Somerset Waste Parnership spokesperson said: “Our contractor, Kier, is making changes to enhance efficiency and reliability.

“To keep things simple, the day of collection will stay the same in every case.

“Many households that have got used to a late collection could see pick-ups of both recycling and refuse far earlier in the day. Thus the call for containers to be out, as we always require, by 7am.”

Residents are being urged to sort and segregate recycling, and to ensure that their refuse bin contains no recycling – in particular, no food waste – and the lid is closed with no side waste.

Containers should be at the edge of the property by 7am, put out no earlier than the night before, positioned to avoid becoming an obstruction, and taken back in as soon as possible.

And people are reminded that containers not collected because they were put out too late are not regarded as a missed collection, so crews will not return for them.

TAUNTON DEANE.

Ash Priors, Bathpool, Bishops Lydeard, Combe Florey, Cotford St Luke, Culmhead, Durston, Fitzhead, Halse, Knapp, Lydeard St Lawrence, Monkton Heathfield, Ruishton, Staplehay, Taunton, Trull and Wiveliscombe.

WEST SOMERSET.

Alcombe, Brompton Regis, Brushford, Carhampton, Crowcombe, Cutcombe, Doniford, Dulverton, Dunster, East Quantoxhead, Elworthy, Exford, Exton, Huish Champflower, Kilve, Luccombe, Luxborough, Minehead, Monksilver, Nettlecombe, Old Cleeve, Porlock, Roadwater, Sampford Brett, Selworthy, Simonsbath, Skilgate, Stogumber, Timberscombe, Treborough, Upton, Washford, Watchet, West Quantoxhead, Wheddon Cross, Williton, Winsford, Withycombe, Withypool and Wootton Courtenay.