Bags trial at 2,500 homes

It is the first service of its kind in the city and the district council hopes it will make a massive difference to the amount of landfill waste that residents create.

Householders will collect their plastic carrier bags into one bag and place them underneath their recycling boxes on collection day, so they can be taken away and made into new carrier bags.

In the first week of the scheme the equivalent of nine wheelie bins full of compressed plastic bags was collected.

Christine Cole, Lichfield District Council's recycling officer, said she was "overwhelmed" by the response from residents.

"It is our aim to reduce the amount of plastic carrier bags in circulation, which is why we promote using canvas bags, or reusing plastic bags," she said.

"However, we're aware many people still use plastic bags, so we're working to reduce the vast quantities ending up in landfill." Once the bags have been collected by the council's operational services recycling crews, they are passed to Euro Packaging who use the plastic to create carrier bags and plastic sacks for supermarkets across the UK.

Adam Dickinson, research and development director for Euro Packaging, said: "The introduction of recycled materials into carrier bags has been a major initiative of Euro Packaging to reduce the environmental footprint of plastic bags.

"Our partnership with Lichfield District Council closes the loop with the consumer, who can now responsibly dispose of their plastic bags once they have been reused."