A torn black plastic Dunedin City Council rubbish bag in Mornington last week. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE

Black plastic Dunedin City Council rubbish bags could be discontinued.

At a Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board meeting in Mosgiel last week, board member Phillipa Bain asked council waste and environmental solutions group manager Chris Henderson if the council was investigating moving away from the use of the black bags.

"Absolutely,'' Mr Henderson said.

Council contractors did not want to work with the bags because of health and safety issues, such as the risk of injury.

"Plastic bags - even if we wanted to keep them - we would probably struggle to find a contractor who would sign a contract.''

The council had proposed a move away from black bags before but it was voted down in a public consultation in 2012, he said.

Mrs Bain said the public's view on the use of plastic bags has changed since 2012 and the news of a possible change was "positive''.

SHAWN.MCAVINUE @thestar.co.nz