It has been revealed that the bags used to recycle to waste in Allerdale cannot themselves be recycled.

People across the borough use the purple bag system to collect plastic, metal and glass.

But while the contents can be recycled, the purple bags are sent to landfill.

Allerdale council, which administers the scheme, says it costs around £50,000 a year.

It is launching a trial to help it identify "better ways" for residents to recycle.

The council has identified alternative ways to recycle more efficiently, using reusable sacks and boxes, as well as residents’ current recycling bins.

In order to determine which method will be most convenient for users, the council is running the trial over 12 weeks, which is due to begin next month.

Householders in the pilot scheme areas have already been contacted to make them aware of the upcoming plans.

They will then be asked for feedback before any decisions are made regarding the collection process.

Councillor Michael Heaslip, executive member with responsibility for waste and recycling, said: "This trial has been designed to not just help improve the efficiency of the council, but to give householders the chance to have their say about which method works best for them.

"It is also hoped that the trial will make residents think about recycling. Ideally we all need to reduce waste, reuse if possible and finally recycle as much as we can.”

The service will not be reduced in any way, and the day of the week on which recycling collections take place will not change.

For more information on when collections take place, please visit www.allerdale.gov.uk/bincollections