Plastic bags should only be put in the black bins

Hambleton Council has issued 6,000 homes with two wheeled bins which are collected on alternate weeks.

A green bin is for garden waste, which is taken away for composting, while the other is for general rubbish.

But some people have been putting plastic sacks and bags in the green bin.

The council says that plastic will contaminate the composting site at West Tanfield as it will not biodegrade for many years.

Now council officers will be conducting spot checks on wheelie bins to find out which homes are sending the wrong type of rubbish.

Eric Kendall, Hambleton Council's head of environmental health, says: "It is vital that people use these bins correctly or we will take action to remove them.

"This problem involves only a minority of people but the consequences can mean an entire load of compostable refuse is lost."