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People who don’t recycle in Swansea could start seeing council officers checking their black bin bags at the kerbside, and could be fined.

Bags would be checked for weight and telltale signs of glass and cans clinking, rather than refuse workers rummaging around in them.

The aim is to focus on the minority in the city who still don’t recycle, despite being offered a kerbside collection service for food waste, tins, paper, cardboard, hard plastic and glass.

Persistent non-recyclers would be written to, and face being issued with a fixed penalty notice — but council chiefs have stressed this would be a last resort.

Swansea Council's Cabinet will be asked to approve the new measures, which are said to have public backing, at a meeting on December 20.

Councillor Mark Thomas, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure management, said: “We have operated kerbside recycling services for more than 15 years and the majority of households are taking part.

“Our ongoing surveys show that there are still residents who either refuse to recycle or do very little, opting only to use black bags.”

Swansea, like all authorities in Wales, has been recycling more and more, but in 2017-18 the level in Swansea dropped slightly.

The authority must hit a 64% recycling target next financial year but does not want to reduce the three-black bag fortnightly limit to two — or collect black bag waste less frequently — as this would impact on people who currently recycle.

Another problem with black bag waste is that it costs councils a lot of money to send it to landfill.

Here's some advice on what to take to the tip and what to recycle...

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Reducing the amount of black bag waste at the kerbside in Swansea by 15% would save more than £300,000, and go a long way to ensuring the 64% recycling figure is met next year.

How will the black bag checks work? A campaign is taking place before the implementation date of February 25, at which point recycling officers will start checking for households which don’t recycle. For the majority of cases, this will be done by checking the bags’ weight and shape, and carrying out a so-called “clink” test, lifting the bag and listening for the sound of cans and bottles clinking together. Officers will record addresses with a significant amount of recyclables in their bags, knock on the door to encourage recycling and leave a letter advising that specified recyclable materials are not permitted in black bags. The letter will include offers of help and a leaflet, but also advise that further visits will be made. At the next collection two weeks later officers will re-check the addresses contacted the previous time and, if no improvements have been made, issue a legal notice specifying the non-permitted materials again and advising that a fixed penalty notice could be issued for non-compliance. On the next collection day, a final warning letter will be issued if there are no improvements. This will lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued at the subsequent visit, if no improvements have been made. During this process, residents who do change their behaviour will be thanked for doing so.

The council has introduced a number of measures to encourage recycling, including converting three civic amenity sites to recycling-only centres.

The report going before cabinet said of the black bag checks: “For the majority of cases, this can be done without the need to search bags, by using their weight, shapes, and a ‘clink test’ which identifies glass and tins/cans.”

It added that the proposal would not affect people who had put in the odd bottle or can into their black bags, or those considered unable to recycle.

Waunarlwydd resident Pamela Morgan, when told about the proposed new scheme, said: “I can see that something is necessary, and individual targeting is a more sensible idea.”

She reckoned that writing to serial non-recyclers was a better idea than “slapping labels” on black bags, as could happen currently.

“Perhaps the letter could say that your neighbours recycle, or 60% of the population recycles,” said Mrs Morgan. “As long as the letter is not too stroppy!”

Mrs Morgan said she had some sympathy for people living in flats, where storage space for recycling is limited, but that in general she felt recycling was simple.

“It’s not hard, for goodness sakes,” she said.

But she also reckoned less food packaging was needed.

"It's got to start with the supermarkets," she added.