Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is to fine residents who put food waste into their general rubbish recycling bins, it has been revealed.
The strict new rules will see homeowners fined £100 for failing to recycle their food waste, according to the South Wales Echo.
Designed to cut the amount of waste going to landfill, the move is part of the local authority's plan to prove to the Welsh Assembly Government that it is serious about meeting recycling targets.
However, John Warman, general secretary of the Protection of Privacy campaign, told the publication that the fines were Draconian.
"A lot of people have come on board on recycling and are fairly well disciplined in separating their waste. But it does happen sometimes that people are busy and might, in complete innocence, get something mixed up," he said.
According to the latest figures from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK's recycling rate has now reached 40.3 per cent.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the recycling industry includes:
Conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
