JUST one week in to a new 'twin sack' recycling scheme and residents have been left confused.

The scheme is attracting complaints from residents who point out that literature sent out with the bags gives different information to the print on the bags themselves.

In the past fortnight, Monmouthshire County Council has been rolling out the controversial 'twin sack' scheme, delivering rolls of different coloured sacks with information leaflets.

The system was designed to separate paper from glass, to prevent paper being rejected for recycling if contaminated by broken glass. However instructions printed on purple sacks being delivered across the County are advising residents to put paper in the same sack as glass.

"We've been swapped with calls from across the County", said Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader Phil Hobson, "as people are reporting that the leaflets say one thing the sacks say the opposite. People are left not knowing what to do. This is a terrible start to a system we said was flawed.

"We're telling people to follow the instruction s on the leaflet. If paper is in the same sack as glass then there's a real danger their recycling will be rejected and it ends up in landfill. People didn't face this danger with the black box scheme."

Another source of confusion is the range of materials that can be collected. Aluminium foil, clothes, shoes and Tetra Paks will on longer be accepted for collection in the new system with advice issued from the County Council to 'recycle at one of our recycling sites'.

Councillor Hobson said that the "information is not clear enough; at least the Council should have listed where items can be recycled rather than leaving people in the dark." 

He added that his main fear after residents' enquiries was that "there seems to be a 'well, this is getting too hard, I'll just bin it' response which is exactly the opposite outcome of this new twin-sack scheme we were promised." 

The Liberal Democrat leader also claimed that three million were made and some were sent out even before consultation finished.

"It's been a pantomime and we have been the unwitting players of it all."

He added that he was writing to the Cabinet Member for Recycling, Eric Saxon to request that he urgently reviews the information that the Council had sent out and issue clearer advice: "People want to do their bit. They're finding that the new scheme is leaving them with a lot of questions and left with confusion. I hope now the Council will redouble its efforts and get out new information that is clear and in a format that encourages people to do their bit."

The changes are part of the council's plans to increase recycling across the county. Whilst overall the council is in the top six councils in Wales for recycling and composting, the dry recycling (such as paper and cans) in Monmouthshire is the lowest in Wales. The new collections will be rolled out to all households, except the most remote.

One Abergavenny resident said chiefs would be left 'red faced' aftre she spotted two spelling mistakes on the purple bags.

She said, "I've just this minute had the bags and was reading the print on the front to find out what goes where. I was astounded to see that separate was spelt wrong - twice!

"I couldn't believe it. As a reisdent and a tax payer I find it shocking. My 10-year-old would notice the spelling was wrong.

"It just made me cringe. It's an insult, they are treating us like idiots and they can't even spell. How much would i cost us, the tax payers, for them to put this right?"

No one was available for comment as the Chronicle went to press.