RESIDENTS in Newport could soon be asked to have their rubbish bags checked for recyclables when they go to the tip under plans in the city council's budget.

The council is proposing to introduce bag sorting at the Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Docks Way.

Under the new arrangement, rubbish for the waste skip will have to be taken to a designated bag sorting area.

Council staff will then open the bags and sort any recyclables into designated containers.

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The policy has been introduced in Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen, where it has boosted recycling rates by 15 to 20 per cent.

Monmouthshire council is also planning to introduce the policy.

Newport council says 60 per cent of the contents in black bags disposed of at the tip can be recycled at the site.

"To counter this, and to continue to encourage behaviour change such that recycling becomes the norm, many local authorities in Wales now require the black bags presented at their HWRCs to be sorted and all recycling removed prior to disposing of the waste," a council report says.

"This reduces the opportunity to dispose of waste that could be easily recycled at the kerbside and will positively impact Newport’s recycling rate."

The arrangement is planned to start in Newport in March this year.

The proposal is expected to save around £57,000, with a one-off cost of £25,000 to install a sorting area.

A public consultation on Newport council's budget proposals is open until January 31, with further details at newport.gov.uk/budget.