Every Cheltenham home can now have carrier bags, crisp packets and food wrapping collected free with the recycling. How to sign up and what goes in the bag.

Every household in Cheltenham can sign up from Monday 9 November to put plastic bags, crisp packets, sweet wrappers and food pouches out with their recycling, as the council takes a trial that began in 2022 across the whole town. (Cheltenham Borough Council, media release, 6 November 2026)

Updated 10 November: the council now has a dedicated plastic bags and wrapping page with an “Order your collection bags” button. Packs are free; the paid delivery charge on the same form applies only to boxes, blue bags and caddies. The page also says you can use your own carrier bag-sized plastic bag instead of a council collection bag.

The trial ran in parts of the borough including Benhall and Wymans Brook and took in around 6,000 households. The council says it was “well received by residents”.

It is not automatic. You have to sign up, either on the council’s bins and recycling containers page or by calling 01242 262626. A pack of collection bags then comes to your door with a leaflet explaining how it works.

What goes in the bag

The council’s list covers the soft, scrunchable plastic that cannot go in the green boxes:

  • All plastic bags: carrier bags, frozen food bags, bread bags, salad, fruit and vegetable bags, flower bags and cereal bags.
  • Sweet and snack wrappers: chocolate, sweets, biscuits, cakes, ice cream and chewing gum wrappers.
  • Foil-lined packaging: crisp packets, snack packets and coffee bags.
  • Cheese, fish and meat wrapping.
  • Outer wrapping: the film round multipacks of kitchen and toilet roll, and magazine and newspaper wrappers.
  • Pouches, sachets and packets: microwave food, baby food, pet food, cosmetics, detergent and cleaning pouches.
  • Plastic film and sleeves: peel-off film lids and the plastic sleeves on bottles and jars.
  • Bubble wrap and cling film.
  • Fruit and vegetable nets.
A tied blue collection bag printed with a checklist of accepted plastics, including confectionery wrappers, outer layer wrapping, pouches, plastic film and cheese, fish and meat wrapping.
A filled collection bag, printed with the list of plastics it can take. Photo: supplied by Cheltenham Borough Council

You do not have to use the council’s bags. Your own carrier bags work as well, or instead, as long as they are tied securely once full.

What stays out

The Recycle Now page for Cheltenham, which the council points residents to, lists what the bag cannot take: crisp tubes, plastic straws and cutlery, foam or polystyrene of any kind, disposable gloves and masks, balloons, blister packs from pills and tablets, ready meal and fresh meat or fish trays, and compostable or biodegradable bags.

Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays still go loose in the green recycling box as now. Everything in the plastic bag should be clean, dry and free of food.

How it gets collected

The Recycle Now page, written during the trial, sets out the routine: fill the collection bag, tie it in a double knot and put it in your existing recycling box. It is collected every two weeks, on the same day as the rest of your recycling. The bags are kept separate from loose plastics because film is sorted differently from bottles and tubs.

The same page suggests keeping wrapping in a drawer or a spare bin until there is enough to fill a bag. It also says that only 6% of plastic bags and wrapping in the UK are recycled.

Why Cheltenham, and why now

Cllr Steve Harvey, cabinet member for waste and recycling and parks, gardens and green open space, said:

“For residents, this is about making recycling simpler, more convenient and more effective while at the same time reducing the need to make more new plastics with all those associated costs to the environment.

“We are particularly proud to not only be one of the first authorities to sign up to the FlexCollect trial in 2022 but to also be among the first authorities to introduce this enhanced service borough wide, more than three years ahead of the government’s extended deadline. It demonstrates our commitment to this agenda and most importantly, it gives our residents an easier way to play their part in protecting the environment.”

The deadline he means is national. Under the government’s Simpler Recycling rules, councils must collect a consistent set of materials from homes. Plastic bags and film were due to become compulsory in March 2027, but in July 2026 Defra pushed that back to 1 April 2030, citing a lack of sorting and reprocessing capacity in the UK, according to the council. Most councils therefore do not have to collect them for more than three years. Cheltenham is doing it now.

What it means for you

  • Sign up now (sign-ups opened on Monday 9 November) online or on 01242 262626. Nothing changes until you do.
  • Wait for the pack of collection bags and the leaflet, or start with your own carrier bags in the meantime.
  • Tie it and box it: the full bag goes in your recycling box on your normal fortnightly recycling day. Check your week on our Cheltenham bin collection days page.
  • Keep it clean: everything in the bag should be clean, dry and free of food, and nothing from the “stays out” list above.