FOOD waste caddy bags are set to be rationed to households in a Vale Council move aimed at making an annual saving of £100k.

The currently free biodegradable bags will be limited on an “average use” basis because, the authority says, residents are requesting “more than is reasonably required.”

Anyone needing more bags will be able to buy more from the council or, the council advises, line food caddies with newspaper before depositing food waste.

But the move has been slammed by the Barry-based Friends of the Earth group who claim the decision will have a negative effect on encouraging recycling.

Vale Council director of visible services, Miles Punter, said: “Limiting the amount of food waste bags provided to our customers was agreed as part of the budget setting process for 2014/15. When this service was introduced it was decided in the initial phase to issue as many bags as required free of charge to promote its use.

"However it has recently become apparent that in some cases residents are starting to request considerably more bags than should reasonably be required to dispose of their food waste. Later this financial year we plan to issue all our residents, who take part in the food waste collection service, a set number of bags for the year. The number will be based on an average use per week for an average sized family, and this is currently being determined. If residents then run out of bags before the next year’s delivery they can either purchase more bags from our offices or our contact centre or alternatively line their caddies with newspaper until their next delivery. We have estimated that this will save up to £100k for a full year and this saving will help us to continue to deliver front-line services in these extremely challenging financial times for all councils.”

Barry and the Vale Friends of the Earth co-ordinator Keith Stockdale, said: “What do the Vale Council think that people are doing with their food bags, other than recycling? Given that a maximum of 50 per cent of people recycle their food waste, the Vale should be encouraging more to recycle and to increase, not decrease their recycling facilities.

“The Vale needs to get ready for new European Laws, which will ensure that a lot more recycled material is separated at source, have greater value and can be used by the recycling industry.”

In a separate move, councillors approved the withdrawal of some of its municipal recycling bring bank sites, from January 31 next year, at their cabinet meeting of November 17.

Members agreed to keep household waste recycling centres at Llandow and Barry, but remove facilities elsewhere in the Vale.

Vale council cabinet member for visible services, Cllr Rob Curtis said: “They are being abused appallingly by certain members of the community and that results in the council having to land-fill the material as it contaminates the material we have already there.”

He said cost-savings would amount to around £120,000.