A RESIDENT has voiced concerns over the effect on neighbourhood cleanliness in Barry when the Vale council introduces its two bin bags per fortnight policy in September.

The local authority said the policy, announced recently, was to encourage more recycling to reduce landfill and meet government targets.

But concerns have been raised by householders that more fly-tipping will occur ahead of the fortnightly collections making an already existing problem worse.

A Wyndham Street resident recently captured seagulls gorging on food waste dumped in flimsy black bags, which they had ripped apart.

He complained that the food waste was placed in the bags, rather than the green caddies provided by the council, and this left the whole area in an unsightly mess.

Town centre Vale and Barry Town Council, Plaid Cymru councillor Ian Johnson said: “I’m very worried that some people will try and avoid the Conservative council’s new two black bag limit by dumping extra bags in back lanes or on street corners.

“The sort of people who do that are also most likely to leave food in bags which get ripped open by seagulls and leave a mess all over the street with nobody taking responsibility for it.

“The black bag limit means that the council will have to put more resources, not fewer, into cleaning up rubbish left behind on the streets.

“I think they should reconsider how this will work, rather than rushing this in so quickly.”

As of September, people using the Vale tip will have to prove they live in the area and be willing to have their black bin bags opened to prove they don’t contain recyclable waste.

Vale council operational manager, Colin Smith said the authority had been marketing changes since February this year and that the council had been trying to educate people on recycling for more than 10 years.

Along with the two black bags limit, from September visitors to the Vale’s tips will have to prove they live in the area and they have sorted their recyclables from non-recyclables before they are allowed to use them.