Residents of North Somerset have reported that their new red recycling bags are losing their color and literally falling apart, prompting concern from the local council. North Somerset Council is actively engaging with its supplier after receiving complaints about the bags deteriorating at the seams.
During a full council meeting on November 11, Annemieke Waite, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, described the issue as “a very strange thing.” She explained that while the initial batch of bags used in the trial last November remained in perfect condition, subsequent orders for a wider rollout have encountered serious problems.
“Some of the red bags are fading, some are failing—they are literally falling apart at the seams,” said Ms. Waite. “We are having extensive discussions with the supplier and are not happy at all.”
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The council has dispatched a team to assess the extent of the fading and damage, as part of its agreement with the supplier. Ms. Waite added, “There is an ongoing discussion about how we will resolve this financially.”
She also highlighted that the supplier is a reputable company, one of only two in the UK producing these specific recycling bags, which are used by many councils. North Somerset is not the only council experiencing these issues.
Council Chair Clare Hunt acknowledged the unintended consequences of the new bags, saying, “In trying to improve something, it seems we have made things a little worse.”
The red bags, designed for plastic and metal recycling, were first introduced to 6,000 households in a trial phase in November 2024. By the end of March, they were rolled out across all households in North Somerset. They were intended to simplify recycling sorting with more space and to improve the quality and value of recyclable materials, helping to offset waste collection costs.