'Black bins' are to be checked in Derry and Strabane to ensure no food has been dumped in them.
Derry City and Strabane District Council has warned that from May it will not empty standard household bins containing food waste.
The move is an attempt to get people to use special brown food 'caddies' which have already been distributed to more than 30,000 homes across the council area, with a further 20,000 to be handed out in the coming months.
The head of the council’s environment section, Conor Canning, said that from Monday May 20 council refuse staff would start inspecting black bins.
“Bins found with food waste within may not be emptied in an effort to encourage more people to use the food caddy,” Mr Canning said.
Households are given two brown food caddies of different sizes.
One is expected to be used to collect leftovers after meals. The food – deposited in a disposable bag – is then dumped in the larger brown bin which is collected weekly.
Mr Canning said the tougher approach would improve recycling and composting rates, reduce costs and help provide householders with a better service.
Sinn Féin's Colly Kelly, chair of the council’s environment and regeneration committee, said it would ultimately reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
“Among the items you can dispose of in your food caddy bin are cooked and raw meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, all dairy products including cheese and yoghurt, eggs, bread, cakes and pastries, rice, pasta and beans, uneaten food from your plates or dishes, tea bags and coffee grounds,” he said.
Derry independent councillor Gary Donnelly also urged ratepayers to engage with the scheme.
