Recycling campaigners have welcomed news that South Gloucestershire Council is thinking again about its cardboard recycling collections.

Since November, local residents have no longer been able to put cardboard in their green wheelie bin, instead being asked to put it all inside a larger cardboard box or place it under another bin. The Council later reacted to complaints by saying that people could also use their own plastic box or a strong bag, such as a “bag for life”, but the problems have continued.

At a meeting on Wednesday, Lib Dem councillors repeated their calls for a rethink of the arrangements for collecting cardboard. Speaking afterwards, Cllr Jon Williams (Bradley Stoke North) said, “On a windy day, cardboard put out by the road gets blown all over the place, making a terrible mess. People are getting fed up and putting their cardboard in the black bin instead, which means it will end up in landfill. This is no way to encourage recycling.”

Cllr Marc Scawen (Oldland Common), who previously raised the issue at January’s meeting, said, “We were told on Wednesday that the Council is looking again at this problem. I hope this means they are finally listening and that they come up with a solution that helps people to recycle while also keeping our streets tidy.”

He added, “There has been a lot of confusion about the new recycling arrangements. Even after the Council started telling complainants they could use their own containers for cardboard, they were still putting out press releases with the original advice. Nothing has gone out attached to the bins or through people’s doors giving them the latest advice.”

Cllr Dave Hockey, who led the Lib Dem campaign for plastic bottle and weekly food waste collections, said, “At meeting after meeting, we told the Tory administration that the new arrangements for cardboard were flawed. Local people want to be able to put out their cardboard and know that it won’t end up strewn along their road and in their neighbours’ gardens. This problem needs to be sorted, and quickly. All residents need to be told what is happening, not just those who have complained to the Council.”