Cotswold District Council is calling on residents to make sure they are prepared for key changes to its food and garden waste services this March.

The new and improved services come into force from March 18 for some households (see your collection calendar) and will require residents to separate their food and garden waste using new outdoor food waste bins.

When the new service goes live, food and garden waste will no longer be processed together.

Instead, food waste will be taken to a special processing facility, where it will be used to create biogas and food-grade fertiliser.

Garden waste will be sent separately for open windrow composting.

A spokesman for Cotswold District Council said: "It is vital that residents no longer put food waste into their green garden waste bins to avoid the risk of contamination, and the spread of diseases like BSE, are much greater if food waste makes its way into open windrow composting.

"Food waste will not be accepted in your garden waste bin from this date and any bins found containing food waste will not be emptied.

"Collection crews will check and if they find food waste in your garden bins, they won’t be able to collect them."

Food waste will be collected weekly. Refuse and recycling collections will remain fortnightly, and garden waste collections will also switch to fortnightly.

For more information on the changes, visit: www.cotswold.gov.uk/cotswoldrecycles.