Black bags to be checked for recycling in Bridgend

Bin bags could be opened and checked by Bridgend council officials to make sure residents are not throwing recycling away.

From April 2017, residents will only be able to put out two black bin bags of household rubbish a fortnight.

Larger households will be able to apply for extra but these can be checked and if they contain recyclables the service may be withdrawn.

The council said it had no intention of being "heavy handed".

Currently, there are no restrictions on the number of black rubbish bags residents can put out for collection.

While the limit is being brought in to encourage more recycling, households with more than six residents can apply for more but will be subject to a "waste audit".

The changes, which will also include the start of a nappy and sanitary item disposal service, will be introduced in April 2017.

Members of the council's cabinet approved a "special dispensation" to the two bag restriction at a meeting on Tuesday.

The changes allow homes with six or seven residents to apply for one extra bag a fortnight, while homes with eight or more occupants can apply for two extra.

'Seamless change'

A report that went before the council's cabinet states that bags "may be subject to periodic splitting and sorting and checked for compliance", while anyone who puts recyclable waste into the bags may have the service withdrawn.

The estimated annual cost of implementing the dispensation policy is £35,000.

The council's deputy leader, Hywel Williams, said: "We fully appreciate that adjusting to the new two bag limit might be more of a challenge for some homes than others, so we don't intend to be heavy handed.

"But there is a pressing need to change our habits so that it becomes second nature for all homes to recycle more and to help with this we'll have a team out and about talking to residents as much as possible."

A report by the council in March predicted it would fall short of the Welsh government 58% target for recycling - meaning it could be fined at £200 per tonne.

The two bag restriction would mean it reaches 64% by 2019-2020, it predicted.