Residents faced hour-long queues under the scorching sun to exchange their damaged red recycling bags on the UK’s hottest day of the year.
North Somerset Council had introduced red bags last year for household plastic and metal recycling. However, these bags began to disintegrate and turn white if left in sunlight. To address the problem, the council ordered 88,000 replacement bags that are believed to avoid the previous manufacturing defects, and is committed to replacing all faulty bags.
On 13 August, an event was organised in Weston-super-Mare to swap defective bags, but many attendees endured long waits in full sun without shade, water, or toilet facilities. The queue included numerous pensioners.
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Abe Bowen, a children’s entertainer from Weston-super-Mare, who attended the event, criticised the organisation. He pointed out that council events typically require extensive planning, including risk assessments, site plans, and logistic arrangements like providing water and portable toilets, none of which were evidently in place for this event.
Mr Bowen remarked, “It was baffling that something as straightforward as exchanging a bag was taking so long.” Initially, only two council staff were present, one issuing new bags and the other recording addresses.
A North Somerset Council spokesperson acknowledged the unexpectedly high turnout and apologised for the inconvenience caused by the heat and wait times. The council has launched a comprehensive programme to replace all damaged and faded red bags, visiting every road in the district from September, when more residents return from holidays. This process is projected to continue until spring 2027.
The spokesperson added that a gazebo was set up to provide shade during the swap, and additional staff were brought in to manage the queue. Parking services assisted at peak times to maintain safety within the car park. By the end of the event, 422 bags had been swapped in two hours. While overall feedback was positive, the council intends to apply lessons learned to upcoming drop and swap events scheduled later in August.
Future events will be held at the Scotch Horn in Nailsea on 18 August (10am–12pm), the Campus in Weston-super-Mare on 20 August (10am–12pm), and the Lake Grounds in Portishead on 24 August (2pm–4pm). Attendance at these events remains optional as residents can receive replacements through other means.
In addition, a dedicated vehicle has been following recycling crews to replace damaged bags during collections. This service paused for August but will resume in September. Previously, residents could request new bags individually, but as all damaged bags will be replaced systematically, this order service has now closed.
The red bags were initially introduced in November 2024 as a trial to 6,000 households and received positive feedback, though some found the bags too large. Later, slightly smaller bags were ordered and rolled out to all North Somerset households from March 2025, both supplied by the same reputable manufacturer.
Notably, there were no reported issues with the original trial bags. However, the bags from the full rollout deteriorated within months. After an extended negotiation, the council confirmed in December 2025 that it had received a refund for the defective bags.