Up to 100 blue bins are rejected each day because they contain contaminated goods, according to officials.

One of the main problems is waste being put in plastic bags which are not permitted in the bins.

Council workers also say some householders have also left dirty containers, instead of washing them.

This has caused difficulties at the sorting office and the bins are being rejected.

Thousands of pounds has been spent on extra refuse collections to deal with the problem.

The council says that from next week, bins containing the wrong items will have a sticker placed on them and will not be picked up until the next regular round two weeks later.

However, the authority says it is already meeting a government target for recycling household waste.