Pink sacks win in new Milton Keynes recycling trial

MK Council picked more than 200 homes in Beanhill to test out the new reusable blue bags, which they intend to roll out across Milton Keynes.

But almost 80 per cent of residents said they “strongly “ preferred their standard pink sacks, a council report states.

Some people even ignored the new scheme - and shoved their plastics and paper into black bin bags.

They complained the blue ‘bags for life’ were too small, difficult to dry when they got wet, and cats and dogs urinated on them when they were left out.

The biggest complaint was that the zip and flap were not secure enough to keep the recycled goods in place.

The council report said: “Many properties seemingly did not start using the reusable bags and large numbers of pink sacks continued to be used.”

But, despite the public reluctance, there was an increase in recycling goods put out and fewer black bin bags.

The council is governed by legislation which states it must recycle as much as possible. Switching to blue bags would save £500,000 a year and make it easier for households to recycle, say officers.

They now recommend the quality of the bags be improved and say at least two bags should be given to each household.

Council officers were delighted to note there was a 40 per cent decrease in the number of black sacks put out containing general waste in one of the trial areas.

Almost 12 million pink sacks are used each year in MK and aroll of 80 is delivered to each home. People can collect more at selected outlets if they run short.