Knebworth plastic bag recycling scheme set to spread

A council is to extend a kerbside plastic bag recycling trial to more homes.

North Herts Council said the trial, which has run in Knebworth since November, had been a "resounding success".

Soft plastics could normally only be recycled via supermarket collection points, the council said.

Councillors said the aim was to expand the scheme to all areas in 2025 and cut the amount of waste sent to landfill.

About 2,200 properties featured in the Knebworth trial, said the council, which is under no overall control.

Another 6,250 would be involved when the trial was extended in a few months.

The council said residents taking part in the trial filled "dedicated blue bags" with plastic bags, confectionery wrappers, crisp packets, foil-lined packaging, plastic film and bubble wrap.

It said the trial had been a "resounding success" with an average of 251kg (40 stone) of soft plastics a week picked up.

"There's not been a way to recycle soft plastics, except to take it to the supermarkets, which a lot of people do, but that's not accessible for some people," Labour council member Amy Allen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We're trying to put less and less into landfill. The feedback from people has been fantastic."

Seven councils in England are collecting lightweight, bendable plastics for recycling as part of the trial, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Flexible Plastic Fund collaboration between private companies and UK Research & Innovation's Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging project.

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