North Somerset Council in the UK has initiated a recycling trial involving 6,000 households, as part of its efforts to enhance recycling rates.

The trial introduces a reusable red bag designed for the collection of plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, and various metal packaging.

Residents in selected trial areas, including Failand, Leigh Woods, Long Ashton, Portbury, Portishead, and parts of Weston-super-Mare, will receive the new recycling bags between today (11 November) and 22 November.

These bags are to be used alongside the existing green and black boxes, which will continue to separate cardboard, paper, and glass.

The council's trial seeks to provide households with additional capacity for recycling and a simpler method that does not require sorting different materials in the same box.

The red bags feature a closing top and a weighted bottom to prevent litter and withstand windy conditions.

North Somerset Council executive member for waste and councillor Annemieke Waite said: “Our new reusable 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.”

According to the council, well-sorted recycling is of higher quality and can be sold at a higher price, helping to cover collection costs and fund essential local services.

The separation of glass from cardboard and paper is expected to prevent damage to the machinery used for baling these materials for sale.

The trial's success will be evaluated based on the quality of recycling received, collection times, and feedback from both crews and residents.

If the trial proves successful, North Somerset Council plans to roll out the red recycling bags to all its households in conjunction with the introduction of three-weekly black bin collections in 2025.

The areas chosen for the trial have been identified based on higher black bin waste volumes and lower recycling rates.