The days of Bristol residents rolling up kitchen waste in old newspapers could be numbered.

The city council is planning to introduce cornstarch bags to every household in the city – with the aim of improving recycling rates.

People in Bristol have responded to the new recycling boxes and bins so well that the city is one of the best recyclers in the country.

But Cabinet Councillor Gary Hopkins believes there is still resistance to rolling up our kitchen waste and putting it in the brown caddies.

He said the cornstarch bags – made of thin plastic which is biodegradable – will make it much easier to get into the habit of recycling kitchen waste.

The bags will be provided free of charge by the council to every household.

They will be designed so they fit into the brown caddy with a generous overlap.

Once they are filled, they can be put in the larger caddy outside.

Mr Hopkins, who is in charge of the council's waste management team, said they hoped to launch the new bags in the summer.

They will be trialled in four areas before being extended citywide.

The 1p bags will cost the council an estimated £100,000 a year.

But Mr Hopkins said the money will more than be clawed back by savings from soaring landfill taxes.

For every tonne dumped in landfill sites, the council has to pay hefty taxes to the Government.

The bags will be given to households – probably in batches of 50 at a time.

It is expected that an average household would use three a week.

Once more bags are needed, people will be able to put a sticker on their bin outside asking for more to be delivered.

A further saving will come from a new composter which is due to open near Bristol early next year.

The new centre will prevent kitchen waste being transported to Dorset for turning into waste.

Mr Hopkins said: "A cornstarch bag doesn't sound like big news but consultants have told us that they will lead to really big savings.

"We are convinced that they will make it much easier to recycle kitchen waste and help us improve our recycling rates much further."

The bags are very light and thin but strong enough to hold liquids such as gravy and melted ice-cream.

Mr Hopkins believes they will save at least 10-15,000 tonnes of kitchen waste a year from being dumped in landfill sites.