WORK is continuing to prepare Pembrokeshire residents for a move to a three-weekly black bin bag collection service this autumn.

The council's policy and pre-decision committee meets on Tuesday to look over the work being done ahead of new kerbside recycling and collections of black bags every three weeks.

The new service is schedule to begin on Monday, October 14.

The Waste Working Group (WWG) plans a phased introduction with 'easy to access' properties included in the first phase.

More difficult to access properties and those requiring "bespoke infrastructure changes and extensive education and behaviour change campaigns" will follow.

It is likely to take between 18 months and two years for the new service to be fully rolled out in Pembrokeshire, the report of the WWG states.

Twenty seven new waste and recycling vehicles have been bought ahead of the changes at a cost of £3m.

Households of five people or less will receive 52 black bags per year and cannot leave more than three bags out per collection.

Every household with more than five people will receive one extra bag per two additional family members.

Anyone wanting to take a black bag to a civic amenity site will be "required to demonstrate that there are no recyclable items in residual bags they tend to deposit."

The colour coding which will be used for the kerbside containers use to collect the different types of recycling is still to be decided.

All households will be provided with the containers and replacement containers provided free of charge, according to the report.

There is the potential for households to be fined for not recycling correctly, although "advisors will provide an educative approach to try to change the behaviour of persistent offender to try to mitigate the need for enforcement."

A service for the collection of absorbant hygiene products is planned to start on September 2, with sign up to the service opening on July 1.

The collection will be fortnightly and purple sacks provided by the council.

Further work will continue to prepare the communications strategy ahead of the implementation and more consideration given to the issue of waste and recycling from holiday lets.