Visitors to rubbish tips in Caerphilly County Borough could be turned away unless they can prove that they live locally.
Stricter recycling rules at Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil centres has led to residents crossing into Caerphilly, where such restrictions are presently not in place.
A survey found that non-resident usage accounted for between 15% and 50% of all site traffic at the local authority’s six household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).
Extra traffic has put a “considerable burden” on staff and has created contamination issues which have proved costly for Caerphilly council to clean up.
A council report says waste disposal costs, which typically amount to more than £2 million per year, have also increased “significantly”.
“This situation cannot be sustained by current operational budgets and it threatens to compromise statutory recycling performance,” says the report.
Under plans to be discussed by cabinet members on Wednesday, visitors would have to produce a valid driving licence before they can use the facilities.
A public awareness campaign is planned before the changes come into effect from April 1, 2019.
The report says: “It is understood that the implementation of this straightforward measure in other local authorities has resulted in significant reductions in disposal costs.”
Cross border usage has been commonplace, with HWRCs at Trehir, Crosskeys, Penallta and Rhymney sites used by residents from Cardiff, Newport, Merthyr and Blaenau Gwent respectively.
Even centrally located sites at Penmaen and Aberbargoed have experienced heavy outsider traffic, the report suggests.
Out of the eight local authorities in south east Wales, Caerphilly has the second highest number of HWRCs with six, just behind Rhondda Cynon Taf’s seven.
But two of the facilities – Penallta and Aberbargoed – are earmarked for closure within Caerphilly council’s draft budget proposals for 2019/2020.
Closing both facilities is expected to save the council £98,000, and there are further plans to shut the remaining sites for an additional day per week to save £38,000.