BINMEN in Monmouthshire will only take away two bags of rubbish on each collection as Monmouthshire Council tries to reduce its multi-million pound bill to bury waste.

The new system will come into force in July along with an £8-a-year per bag charge to remove green waste.

Monmouthshire Council says the new system will help slash the £3 million-a-year bill for sending the waste to landfill sites and help it meet ever-tougher recycling targets.

Although households in the county put out an average of between three and four bags for each fortnightly collection of non-recyclable waste, the council says 70 per cent of what is actually in the bags could be recycled.

Almost a third of waste going to landfill – residual waste in council jargon - is food that is collected weekly by the council which can be made into compost.

Monmouthshire will also become the first council in the country to introduce transparent waste bags that will allow binmen to see what is inside and possibly report householders.

The council will also increase the collection of nappies – for people who are registered with the service – to once a week.

Councillor Bryan Jones, who has responsibility for waste services, said, "If materials that could be recycled goes into residual waste then we will work with householders.

"People will not be fined for putting recyclables in with the residual waste but we will advise them on what they should be doing.

"A lot of recyclable material still goes into black bags.

"It costs a lot to send waste to landfill – we are effectively chucking £3 million a year into a hole in the ground,"?said Councillor Jones.

"We want the public to help us save them money by recycling more effectively."

The county's waste manager Rachel Jowitt said the new system could save taxpayers £600,000 a year.

Every household in the county will be given a starter pack containing a year's worth of transparent sacks in a hessian shopping bag in June.

The move has already been criticised by opposition councillors, who last week accused the controlling coalition of being 'disingenuous and economical with the truth' with its announcement that the new budget will not show any council tax increase or service cuts.

Leader of the independent group, Councillor Simon Howarth told The Chronicle that he felt the 'devil was in the detail' and that service cuts have been renamed as 'service restructures' and a nil increase in council tax has been disguised with stealth taxes," said Councillor Howarth.

In support of his claims he highlighted the changes to green and refuse collection and plans to charge for pest control, which he suggested could create a 'potent mix' in terms of health, hygiene and safety.

"This service restructure will include an increased annual payment for each green bag - if we do not pay we will not receive the service.

"The introduction of a clear bag refuse waste policy means that if we accidentally contaminate our general waste with a recyclable such as food or paper, the contractors will be instructed to leave the bag.

"This big brother approach is potentially punitive and an invasion of our privacy but also contradicts Monmouthshire's Engagement with the Community strategy and is not conducive to MCC's agenda of building a relationship of trust and respect with its residents," he said.

"If we want to encourage people to recycle more, we need to engage, support and make recycling as easy as possible, " said Councillor Howarth, who also raised the concerns of the independent members concerning the policy of charging for pest control.

"In the past we were assured that by reporting rat or mice infestations MCC would provide a service to eradicate the problem and keep the county clean and safe.

"Now if you see a rat and report it you will be charged a call out fee even if it's not your rat!" he said.

"This policy of charging will have a negative impact on people living on low incomes and may affect public health and safety.

"Couple uncollected refuse with a reluctance to report rats for fear of incurring a bill and with this 'service restructure' MCC has created a potent mix which may compromise our health hygiene and safety," warned Councillor Howarth.

"The system of charging will hard hit the vulnerable and the resulting consequences will affect everyone," he added.