The packs include a ‘lockable’ plastic bin that is specially designed for setting out food wastefor collection every week, and another smaller, counter-top plastic ‘caddy’ to sit in thekitchen. Inside these, each household will receive a roll of 150 liners, which will help to keep the containers clean and free of spillages.

A reusable, heavy duty and wipe clean bag is also included for the new glass recycling collections. These are designed to fold away when not in use, and have a weight stitched in to the bottom so that they cannot be easily blown around.

An instruction leaflet in the pack explains how the new collections will work. More information will be sent out to islanders in August, confirming what night their collections will be and what materials to put out each week.

Some apartments who have communal bin arrangements will receive a slightly different kit, as they do not require the larger food container for setting out food waste.

Distribution is being spread over a number of weeks, and covering around 1,000 households a day. If no-one is at home for the delivery and there is nowhere to leave the pack, Guernsey Post will hold on to them for collection from its Envoy House headquarters.

Recycling officer Tina Norman-Ross said the roll-out had been a long time in the planning.

“We have been working with Guernsey Post for a few months preparing for the delivery phase. In that time, all the different containers and other elements of the kit have been arriving from the various manufacturers. We now have everything in place to start the distribution, right on schedule," she said.

“What we would just say to islanders is if you do not receive a pack straight away, pleasedon’t worry. Because of the logistics involved, the kits are going out over several weeks, but everyone should get theirs in good time. However we do want to hear from you if you stillhaven’t received one before the last week of August.”

Food waste accounts for more than 40% of the contents of household black bags. It will be collected weekly, which is how often most households currently have their bins picked up. Only St Peter Port has two collections a week.

With food waste collected weekly, households will be able to reduce the remaining ‘black bag’ material, so that can be collected less frequently. This general refuse will become afortnightly service for most, to encourage waste reduction and recycling, reduce overall collection costs, and help households minimise their waste bills.

Some of the more built-up areas of St Peter Port will have weekly pick-up for general refuse, but the frequency of other collections will be the same as the rest of the island.

Glass will be collected on the alternate weeks, and the current blue and clear kerbside bag for other recycling will continue to be picked up fortnightly.

The changes to household recycling collections will coincide with the commissioning of the new waste transfer station, currently under construction at Longue Hougue. That will receive and process materials prior to export for recycling, energy recovery or disposal.

Separately collected food waste will in future be pre-processed at the transfer station, but will then undergo a different method of treatment to other black bag waste. It will be exported to a specialist facility in the south of England, and used to generate electricity and produce a compost material.

The new collections will begin from 2 September. This will give islanders time to familiarisethemselves with the revised arrangements, before the introduction of a new ‘pay as you throw’ system in 2019. In future, the total costs of waste and recycling collections, and all subsequent processing and treatment, will average around £6 per week per household.