A trial is set to begin with red recycling bags in North Somerset

Red recycling bag trial to start in North Somerset: Here’s where

Paul JonesNovember 8, 20241 Comment0

RED bags will soon be a common sight on the kerbs in North Somerset as part of a recycling trial in the area.

Around 6,000 households across the area have been selected to take part in the scheme – which will see the bags used for plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, as well as metal packaging such as tins, cans, foil and aerosols.

The new bags are being delivered to trial households over the next two weeks, with full instructions included in a leaflet inside the bag. Households can start using their new bag straight away, alongside their existing recycling boxes.

Cllr Annemieke Waite, executive member for waste, said: “Our new reuseable bag aims to make recycling much easier for households and our hardworking collection crews.

“Plastic and cans will go in the new bag, paper and cardboard in one recycling box, glass in the other, and food waste in the brown container.

“This trial is in response to feedback from our recent waste consultation, where residents told us that they’d like more space for recycling and for it to be simpler to sort.

“Better sorted recycling is higher quality and worth more money, which helps cover the cost of collections and generates an income to fund vital local services.”

The households selected for the trial are in: Failand, Leigh Woods, Long Ashton, Portbury, Portishead, plus Haywood Village, Weston Village and West Wick in Weston-super-Mare.

A full list of roads taking part is on the council website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/bagtrial.

The council said the trial will also investigate if the new bags help speed up collection times for crews, providing a more reliable service and reduce congestion on busy roads.

The scheme is similar to some already in place – including at Somerset Council, which introduced a blue bag scheme in 2021.

If successful, the authority said the bag will be rolled out to all North Somerset households at the same time as the council introduces three-weekly black bin collections, in 2025.