Delivered at last: Recycling bags stuck in giant English port finally arrive in East Lothian

New recycle bags have been dropped off outside homes across East Lothian after being stuck at the Port of Felixstowe for weeks.

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The white weighted bags will be the sixth recycling container used by households in the county.

And they sparked some criticism on social media with one person warning they risked not just putting people off recycling but alienating those who already do it.

The new bags turned up on East Lothian doorsteps this week

East Lothian Council wants people to “wash and squash” plastic bottles, tins and cartons, to fill the new bags which are seal-able.

The bags join a food waste caddy, green household waste bin, brown garden waste bin, a blue box for paper and cardboard and a green or black box for glass bottles and jars.

On Twitter one critic said: “Feels like these new bags are to annoy those already recycling and further put off those who do not.”

With another adding: “Good day to wind test them!”

And one tweet predicted the latest recycling bag would not stay the course saying “are we taking bets as to how long this particular fiasco will drag on before they relent and give us the sensible wheelie bins that EVERY OTHER local authority has?”

Six in a row for East Lothian residents as council adds another recycling container

The bags were due to be introduced to East Lothian last month with the council investing in a new fleet of vehicles designed to collect the different containers.

However a combination of Brexit and HGV driver shortages meant they were stuck in shipping containers at Felixstowe for weeks.

The new bags will be collected for the first time from the week beginning Monday, November 15.

READ MORE: Covid and Brexit blamed as East Lothian's recycling scheme stalls

Booklets were sent to every home in the county in August last month outlining the wash and squash technique people need to apply to use the white bags.

New instructions tell residents to rinse metal containers and “wash and squash your plastics and cartons”.

The squashable items include food and drink bottles, toiletry bottles, tablets and medicine bottles, food pots tubs and trays, detergent bottles and tubs fruit juice, milk, soup and sauce cartons.

The addition of the new container also means weekly recycling collections will be introduced in place of the current fortnightly service.

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