Council chiefs have admitted that new recycling bags being issued to homes across Lichfield and Burntwood are a third smaller than they should be.
Changes to the waste collection process has seen Lichfield District Council move to a system whereby homes will be asked to separate out card and paper.
But a number of residents have raised concerns over the small size of the new bags in relation to the amount of cardboard gathered each fortnight.
A spokesperson for the local authority revealed that they had not been made to the “detailed specification” requested – and were a third smaller than they should have been.
Councillor Ashley Yeates, Lichfield District Council’s cabinet member for climate change and recycling, said:
“We are disappointed that the blue bags we have received from our supplier do not meet our expectations and we are investigating this issue.
“Additional bags can be ordered and any superfluous bins removed by contacting us at the end of May through our website or by calling 0345 002 0022.”
Cllr Ashley Yeates, Lichfield District Council
The bags were ordered as part of a purchase with other councils, with discussions now taking place with other local authorities to understand the scale of the issue.
Negotiations are also taking place with suppliers over the problem.
Despite the issue, Lichfield District Council said residents should begin using the existing bags and order more at the end of next month if they are required.
A spokesperson said:
“We need to continue with using the bags because every vehicle load is being checked by the recycling processing company and loads that are not separated correctly will be rejected at a cost of more than £1,000 per vehicle.
“We are therefore asking residents to start using their blue bag as soon as it arrives and present it for collection either next to or inside their blue bin from the next recycling day.
“Blue bins are still to be used for glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, aerosols, plastic food pots and trays, drinks cans, foil and food tins.
“Residents’ blue bins will not be emptied if they contain paper or card and blue bags will not be emptied if they contain anything other than paper and card.”
Lichfield District Council spokesperson
