26 tonnes of plastic bags and wrapping collected in first year of recycling trial in North West Leicestershire

By 2027 the government will require all councils to collect this sort of packaging at the kerbside.

By the first anniversary of the trial on 13 March, it is predicted to have collected more than 75,000 purple bags full of plastics and wrapping.

Facebook comments from people on the trial said 'brilliant trial and needs to be rolled out everywhere ASAP', 'It makes a massive difference what goes into the general waste bin for sure', 'we are gobsmacked by how much our black bin has reduced because of this!'

The trial, which rolled out to more than 6,500 households in parts of Coalville and Hugglescote in March 2024, was expanded six months later to a further 6,422 households in Acresford, Appleby Magna, Donisthorpe, Measham, Normanton Le Heath, Oakthorpe and parts of Moira and Packington.

Items that can be recycled in the purple bags include: 

• Any kind of plastic carrier bag
• Fruit and vegetable wrapping
• Bread bags
• Cereal packets
• Sweet wrappers
• Biscuit wrappers
• Crisp packets
• Coffee bags
• Magazine packets
• Film lids from ready meals
• Plastic sleeves from bottles and jars
• Pet and baby food pouches
• Bubble wrap and cling film.

The material collected in North West Leicestershire has been sent for mechanical recycling locally to be turned into items such as bags, buckets and crates.

By 2027 the government will require all councils to collect this sort of packaging at the kerbside.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community and Climate Change at NWLDC, said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve reached this major milestone, and that the first year of this important trial has been a great success.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has taken part in the trial since last March. Nearly twenty-seven tonnes is a huge amount of plastic waste which can be given new uses rather than being sent for incineration.

“As well as the obvious environmental benefit, the trial has also given us valuable data which will help us as we look to roll out the collection of flexible plastic recycling to every household in the district by 2027.”