After a successful trial early last year, new red recycling bags were sent to every household in North Somerset to recycle plastic and metal. But many people soon found the bags were turning white and crumbling to bits.
Now North Somerset Council says it has secured a refund from the company which sold it the bags after a “lengthy negotiation period.” Speaking in an online Q&A earlier this month, the council cabinet member responsible for waste Annemieke Waite (Green, Winford) said: “I am pleased to say that we have now got a very good agreement with the company and that they are refunding us all the bags.”
She added: “It’s a very good outcome for us, which means they have completely accepted they were at fault and all the bags will be repaid to us.”
The bags were introduced to 6,000 households in some areas in November 2024 as part of a trial to boost recycling and received a positive reception, although some people found the bags too large. The council then ordered slightly smaller bags which were rolled out to all households across North Somerset from the end of March 2025. Both orders were placed with the same “very reputable firm.”
Although there have been no issues with the original bags ordered for the trial, the bags ordered for the full rollout have been rapidly deteriorating in the sun. Ms Waite told a council meeting in November: “They are literally falling apart at the seams. So we are having extensive discussions with the supplier. We are not happy at all.”
She told the Q&A in December: “We know that the people who actually had the original bags are still very pleased with them, and those bags have never deteriorated, have never faded. So we absolutely know this is something that was completely beyond our contro,l and it was just down to the quality of the bags that were delivered in the second batch.”
People with falling-apart red bags can order a replacement on the North Somerset Council website. However, a note on the webpage still warns: “Replacements are from the same batch, so it may also fade or break if left in the sun.”
Bags which are undamaged or only faded can continue to be used. It is recommended to store it out of direct sunlight if possible. Unusable, damaged red bags can be placed in the black bin and left out for the three-weekly black bin collection.