ABERGAVENNY residents have reacted angrily to being asked to open their black refuse bags during visits to MCC’s recycling centre to prove they don’t contain anything which could be recycled.

Furious residents have contacted The Chronicle saying they have been embarrassed at being forced to open their bags and at the extra time it added to the process.

Monmouthshire County Council told The Chronicle: “We are now asking residents to open black bags that they are bringing the household recycling centres, for a very good reason.

“We need to reduce the amount of waste that is not recycled.

“At the recycling centres in Monmouthshire as much as 50-60 percent of waste put into black bags could and should have been recycled.

”We do appreciate that some of the non-recyclable items in the waste may be personal in nature and sincerely apologise if any visitors to the recycling centre have felt upset by the request to sort their black bag waste when their bags have contained personal items.

“We would also encourage residents to either dispose of personal items, such as sanitary products and other similar products, in yellow or black bags for kerbside collection.

“But in order to increase the amount of recycling in the county, black bag sorting will be continuing as part of our efforts to tackle the climate emergency and reduce the amount of residual waste Monmouthshire produces.

“We asking residents to ensure that no recyclable items are put into their black bag waste, both in the black bags they put out for collection and for those brought along to the household recycling centres and to put items in the appropriate purple or red bags, or into glass recycling, as appropriate.

“In the first fortnight of black bag sorting at the recycling centres 20 tonnes of recyclable items have already been diverted from being included in the residual (non-recycled) waste.”

Residents are concerned the new system and embarrassing experiences is going to encourage fly-tipping around Abergavenny and others are questioning whether they should be paying council tax.

One man added: “I’m considering refusing to pay council tax, as we get no benefit from it anymore.”