People in Cardiff who put the wrong recycling out will find their rubbish left behind with a pink sticker on under a new council scheme.
Residents could find themselves with a £100 fine or being sent to Magistrates' Court if they fail to recycle the right materials under the new five-step process being introduced in the capital city.
The new campaign is being introduced by the council to make Cardiff "one of the world's best" for recycling rates.
Currently 20% of waste being put into green bags for recycling contains incorrect materials - with the main offenders being dirty nappies, clothes, packaging and food waste.
The stickers will also be placed on green garden waste with incorrect materials. In the past this has included watering cans, cardboard, garden furniture and parts of sheds being placed in green-wheelie bins.
Contamination levels are at 5% but it is hoped the new scheme will boost recycling figures across the city.
In total, 40,000 tonnes of recycled waste is collected from the city every year but 7,000 tonnes cannot be recycled or is contaminated with unsuitable materal.
This costs the tax payer an extra £750,000 per year.
Of garden waste, 15,000 tonnes is collected and 961 tonnes rejected.
If a pink sticker is put onto a container, residents will have to take their waste back and remove the incorrect items before putting it out on the next collection date.
The pink stickers will also point residents to a website which gives an A-Z of recyclables listing what items should be put in the containers provided.
If necessary the council education team will visit some households to help residents understand where they are going wrong.
Michael Michael, cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment said the council collects just over 40,000 tonnes of recycled waste from the city’s streets every year.
He added: "But 7,000 tonnes of this waste either cannot be recycled or is so contaminated with other materials that it cannot be separated for recycling.
“We are also residents to help to make Cardiff one of the world’s best cities for recycling and that’s something we can all be proud of."
