The future's orange for thousands of people in Pembrokeshire.
Pembrokeshire County Council's popular orange bag scheme will be extended to 15,500 more properties in June this year.
Householders are to be given special orange bags to collect their recyclable materials, which will be picked up by the council once a week. People will be able to recycle all sorts of paper, magazines, cardboard, plastic bottles, steel and aluminium tins and cans, and even birthday and Christmas cards.
The scheme will be extended to a further 34 community council areas, including Tenby, Saundersfoot, Lamphey, Narberth, Templeton, Angle, Cosheston and Carew in the south, while Llandissilio in the north and St. Ishmaels and Tiers Cross in the west will also be included. It will also be introduced on Caldey Island, where the orange bags will be transported to the mainland by boat alongside their regular black bag refuse. Detailed information and orange bags will be delivered to households before the scheme gets underway.
The scheme already operates in mid- Pembrokeshire, where around 24,000 households can put out their recyclable waste for collection once a week.
"By June, around 39,000 households in the county will have their recyclable materials collected literally from their doorsteps," said Clr. Brian Hall, cabinet member for transportation and environment. "This equates to 70 per cent of the 56,000 properties in Pembrokeshire.
"Our next aim is to extend the scheme further as quickly as possible, especially as we are mindful of the enthusiasm for recycling that exists in many communities that we have not yet reached.
"We would like to thank those already participating for their continued support, and those still waiting, for their patience until we can reach the remainder of the county."