FOLLOWING a campaign that forced Monmouthshire County Council to make a U-turn on its policy requiring residents to put their household waste in clear bags, a compromise solution has now been found.

Residents in Monmouthshire will be supplied with a year's worth of silvered opaque bin bags as part of a free package, which includes information, support and advice on recycling during the month of June ready for the implementation of the scheme on July 1.

Rachel Jowitt, the council's waste strategy and contracts manager said, "As a result of our consultation, mainly on social media, it was obvious that people didn't want clear bags so we changed our direction and opted to use grey/silvered opaque bags."

Councillor Tony Easson said,"I think it's a waste of money spending £70,000 on silver coloured bags for general waste when there is an abundance of black bags out there already. It just doesn't add up.

"We are not going anywhere with this until the public are educated. There are areas in Monmouthshire in which people live in flats. I know that many of these people will not keep these bags in their homes, especially at weekends and these bags will sit out on the pavement all week until they are collected."

Roger Hoggins the county's head of infrastructure and sustainability said, "We are trying to change the behaviour of our residents.

"As we are unable to limit the supply of black bags we have to try a different approach by changing the culture towards recycling and limit the amount of waste ending up in landfill."

Councillor Sue White said she believed that some people would have difficulty coming to terms with the new scheme and as a result would choose to stick to the black bags.

She added, "The authority's decision to pick up the black bags after they have been left out for a week or so is not the right way forward. A new regime needs to start off as it means to go on.

"But in reality I think you will have difficulty educating the people in my ward to use the silvered bags."

Councillor Armand Watts pointed out,"There is no incentive with this scheme. The authority is deluded if it thinks that housing associations will assist in implementing these schemes, especially as there are no policing measures in place."

Ms Jowitt added that when developers are building new blocks of flats in Monmouthshire the council will be requesting a recycling area to be created instead of just a refuse area.