UK NEWS
COMPUTERS FOR BINMEN TO TRACK YOUR TRASH
Binmen with computers will compile families' 'rubbish profiles'
By Martyn Brown
BINMEN armed with Big Brother-style computers to compile a “rubbish profile” of families across Britain will pave the way for a pay-as-you-throw bin tax, campaigners warned yesterday.
Under a controversial new scheme, waste collection crews are being issued with devices to provide up-to-the minute information about householders, including whether they have used their recycling bins correctly or have put out too much rubbish.
It also provides local authorities with enough information to issue recycling advice or automated fines to residents who fail to obey bin rules.
Fourteen councils use the Waste Collector Live system and another 30 could follow.
But opposition MPs and campaigners have said the technology could resurrect the unpopular tax and lead to automated fines for those who do not follow bin rules.
Bob Neill, shadow local government minister, said: “Using technology to make refuse collections more efficient is worthwhile but profiling every household could be open to abuse.
“I am concerned that the Government may use the existence of this information to put unfair pressure on local councils to resurrect their discredited ‘pay-as-you-throw’ bin tax scheme by the back door.
“This makes it all the more important that the bin tax laws, which were quietly left in place when the Government’s first attempt to do this failed last year, are now repealed without delay.”
Doretta Cocks, of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: “It is such a terrible Big Brother society we live in.
“This looks like we are moving towards a pay-as-you-throw system which will make it easier for councils to enforce systems that residents don’t want.”
Matthew Elliot, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “If binmen have to spend time typing in the details of the contents of our bins, they’ll have even less time to take away our rubbish, then lots of us will go from fortnightly collections to one every three weeks – if we’re lucky.
“Council bureaucrats should get off the backs of binmen, leave them to get on with their jobs and save taxpayers some money.”
COMPUTERS FOR BIN MEN
24.02.09, 10:51am
Does this mean that the waste collection element in the council tax will be withdrawn or that I will get a rebate if my bins are under filled ?
Would there be a price per item so that I could "switch" items with my neighbours bin to get a bigger rebate or pay less?
The sooner councils stop spending our money on ridiculous ideas and ludicrous staff posistions and get back to the basics the better.
Perhaps instead of just "raising" more money they could look at cutting back on totally unessary "top" posts and learn to live within thier means as the rest of us have to rather than just considering the general public as an open charge account!!
• Posted by: dyingbreed1 • Report Comment
LET THE MY LOCAL COUNCIL TRY IT.........
24.02.09, 9:27am
and I give advance notice that I will be filming them, under the prevention of terrorism act.
• Posted by: KarlH • Report Comment
COUNCILS ORDERED BY BROWN TO CHARGE PEEPS FOR THEIR RUBBISH
24.02.09, 9:10am
IT IS A GREAT PITY THAT WESTMINSTER COUNCIL DO NOT GO AND REMOVE THE SMELLY RUBBISH IN DOWNING STREET - AND SHIP THE GARBAGE TO A DESERT ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
WHAT DO PEEPS PAY THEIR EXTORTIONATE COUNCIL TAX FOR?
Oh! I FORGOT! THAT IS FOR COUNCIL STAFF "EXPENSES".
ANOTHER TAX ON JOE PUBLIC, BY STEALTH.
• Posted by: ReubenMohawali • Report Comment
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