Refuse collectors will look through bins as part of a crackdown on residents who put the wrong items in the recycling.
From this week, Aberdeenshire residents are required to keep in line with new procedures for kerbside bin collections in order to reduce the volume of landfill-only waste going into the recycling.
And those that flout the new measures, being introduced on a staggered basis across the whole area, could even have their recycling bins taken away from them.
A statement from Aberdeenshire Council said: “Any non-recyclable material placed into the recycling bin is classed as contamination, which could spoil the recyclates in any load.
“The recycling reprocessor may then reject whole loads as a result.
“Any rejected loads of recycling are disposed of at an additional cost to the taxpayer, for which there is no council budget available.”
Bin collection crews will now visually check each load of recycling for “contamination”, and the worst offending bins will not be emptied.
Crews will not return to empty a rejected bin until the next scheduled collection day for the same bin.
Households who consistently present severely contaminated bins will be offered advice, and anyone who ignores that advice could have their recycling bins removed.
Moderately contaminated bins will be emptied and an orange tag will be attached, providing information to the householder on how to properly use the recycling service.
Bins deemed to have little to no contaminates will be emptied as normal.
Philip McKay, the council’s head of waste, said: “It’s important residents understand how to recycle properly and make best use of the facilities available to them.
“Sending waste to landfill costs more than double the amount it does to recycle, and tackling the levels of contamination in bins is intended to reduce the recyclates sent to landfill.
“We will enforce procedures in a staggered roll-out, tackling problem routes first. This will allow crews to get used to the procedures without any implications for the collection schedule.”
The council also said that at present more than half of what is put into waste bins is in fact recyclable.
It estimates that up to 30,000 tonnes is unnecessarily sent to landfill each year instead as a result – at an annual cost of £3.5 million.