COUNCIL bosses plan to sift through the contents of people’s bins in the Rochford district.

Officers at the council want to take random samples of rubbish to find out which areas are not sticking to strict recycling rules.

Bosses have refuted accusations of “snooping” and said their findings would not be traceable to individual homes.

It comes as latest figures named the authority as one of the greenest in the country.

Mike Steptoe, Tory councillor responsible for the environment, said: “Let’s nip that in the bud right now.

“It’s not a case of snooping in anyone’s bin. It will all be sorted at the depot.

“What we want to do is find out which areas are doing well at recycling and which are not, so that we can decide where we need to focus.”

The council had one of the best recycling rates in the country last year.

Yesterday, it was picked out by the GMB union as one of only four authorities across the UK to re-use more than 60 per cent of its rubbish.

The council is now planning to overhaul its service by giving bigger bins to proficient recyclers or houses with more than six people, with the aim of driving those rates up even higher.

To identify which areas of the district are either not recycling or “contaminating” – putting non-recyclable waste in recycling bins – the authority plans to look through the rubbish it collects this summer.

Bosses will then use the findings to target recycling campaigns at specific towns or villages.

Yet the move has been met with anger by some residents, who believe it is a step too far.

Patricia Bickford, 72, of Hilltop Avenue, Hullbridge, said: “I am all for recycling and I think it is important. But I do not think there should be this sense of being penalised if you don’t do it or you make a mistake.

“A lot of the people I know are elderly and they feel quite intimidated by it. They are worried about getting it wrong.”

Nick Holdfall, 45, of Somerset Avenue, Rochford, added: “Whatever they say, it smacks of snooping. There’s no need to go looking through someone’s rubbish.

“I worry that, if they start here, where will it finish? It won’t be long before they’re knocking on your door to tell you off.”

The plans will be discussed at the council’s executive meeting next Wednesday.