A new extended recycling collection service is being rolled out across East Devon in the coming months.

It will be launched in Exmouth in February and introduced to other areas later in the year.

It will enable householders to recycle more than ever before as the district council has added cardboard, mixed plastics, cartons/Tetrapaks and small electrical items to the extensive list that residents can already recycle every week.

But because householders will be able to recycle more and throw away less bulky rubbish, grey wheeled waste bins will be collected every three weeks.

Exmouth is in the first phase of a two-phase roll-out of the new service, which will be introduced to the rest of the East Devon district in June.

Most households will be given an additional 75-litre reusable sturdy sack with a Velcro seal in which to collect their extra recyclables. Some properties, such as flats, may receive an additional recycling box instead of a sack, where storage is a problem.

Cllr Iain Chubb, the council’s environment spokesman, said: “The council is determined to offer residents a more sustainable method of recycling and waste collection that looks to the future, benefits the environment, helps our residents do the right thing by recycling more and is financially sustainable.

“We will have a dedicated team of officers who will be out giving advice and assisting wherever they can.”

Information on the new service is available on the council’s website – eastdevon.gov.uk/onboard.