New plastic and cardboard recycling collections are to start in Milnthorpe and Holme.

Residents will be receiving their new re-useable blue bag for storing plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, as well as cans, with blue bags on Tuesday May 10.

This will add an estimated 1,300 properties to the number receiving the plastic and cardboard kerbside collections in South Lakeland, and follows on from roll-outs of the plastic and cardboard collections in Kendal, Ulverston and Kirkby Lonsdale and means that more than 40% of the district will be receiving the expanded service.

A small number of properties in this latest roll-out area, mainly properties with narrow or restricted access, will receive their blue bags and be moved on to the new plastic and cardboard collections at a slightly later date when a fleet of new smaller recycling vehicles is delivered to enable the collections to be made.

MORE TOP STORIES: For households in Milnthorpe and Holme getting their blue bags on May 10 an information leaflet about which container should be used for which material will also be delivered at the same time as the blue bags.

People in these areas can start using the new blue bag for storing plastic and cans as soon as they receive it and the blue bag will be picked up, along with the blue boxes and green waste, on the next recycling collection date on their calendars.

When residents start using the blue bag for plastic and cans, they should use one existing box for glass only, with the other to be used for paper and card - ensuring that the card is kept separate from the paper, as this helps with the recycling process.

The council’s website has useful guides and videos about which container to use for which recycling materials and what happens to your plastic after collection: www.southlakeland.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling This is the latest phase of an expansion of kerbside collections that will eventually take in the whole district by the end of March 2017.

To support the roll out of the service a new fleet of smaller recycling vehicles has been ordered, which will allow the service to be provided to the more remote areas and where access is restricted, while the main tourism areas in the Lakes will be included in the autumn to avoid the busy summer period.

All collection rounds have recently been reviewed and changes made to ensure that collections are operating as efficiently as possible It means the more efficient rounds now also have the capacity to collect plastic and cardboard from the kerbside across the whole district within existing resources – allowing the council to deliver an improved service without extra cost to the taxpayer.

For more information about plastic and cardboard collections see: http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/plastic-and-cardboard-collections/ For information about the changes to collection dates see: www.southlakeland.gov.uk/collectionchanges