A North London council is planning to roll back the blanket use of blue sacks after conceding that its recycling performance is “not good enough and must improve”. The admission comes after the opposition accused Brent Council of “wasting three years” and claim the scheme has caused some residents to stop recycling altogether.
Background of the Blue Sack Scheme
Introduced in October 2023, the scheme required residents with blue-lidded bins to separate card and paper from other recycling items, such as glass, metal, and plastic, into the new 90-litre blue sacks. However, the policy proved unpopular, culminating in a 3,500-signature petition demanding its abolition. Residents cited concerns over the sacks’ poor quality and lack of capacity.
Following sustained public outcry over the past three years, the council has now accepted the current system "does not work equally everywhere" and has committed to an "evidence-led review".
Political Pressure and Public Backlash
Recently elected Liberal Democrat Councillor Krishna Chauhan tabled a motion at a recent Full Council meeting, calling on the Labour-run administration to “end the blanket reliance” on the blue recycling sacks and for the return to wheelie bins where the sacks are causing problems for residents and contributing to “litter, reducing participation or failing to improve recycling”.
The motion criticises the council for continuing to “lag behind” many other London boroughs on household recycling and suggests the current system does not make the process easy enough for residents. Brent’s household recycling rate is currently around 30 per cent, which Cllr Chauhan described as “much lower” than desired and called for a “simpler, more convenient” scheme in order to meet targets.
Council Response and Future Plans
Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Lorber said the council had “wasted three years going nowhere”, with the party having repeatedly raised concerns about the system throughout that time. He added: “There are loads of people who tell me that, because of the blue bags and because of the nuisance of having to deal with [them], ‘I have stopped recycling’.”
Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets, Transport and Public Realm, Cllr Promise Knight, acknowledged that the current recycling rate is “not anywhere any of us would like it to be” but said that the council is “determined to improve it”. Cllr Knight said: “We all want to see Brent recycle more, we all want to reduce waste, and we all want to make it easier for residents to do the right thing. […] The introduction of blue sacks has delivered some genuine cost benefits – material has improved, paper and card contamination is now extremely low, and it has generated additional income to invest in frontline services”.
The council has subsequently agreed to undertake an “evidence-led review” of the current recycling system to look at alternative approaches, including re-introducing wheelie bins, but maintain blue sacks where they “remain the best option”.
Diverse Housing Needs Considered
Due to the different types of housing in the borough, the council highlighted that “one model will not work everywhere”. Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson pointed out that residents living in flats, for example, may not have space for extra recycling bins. She said: “I actually quite like the blue sack. […] It’s not heavy to manoeuvre, so if you’re someone with a disability I think that’s a plus. [The model should be] bins where bins work, sacks where sacks work, and communal containers where they work.”
