Big Brother Recycling Bins

Cleveland’s City Council recently commissioned a $2.5 million ordinance to bring 25,000 recycling bins with built in *RFID tags. What’s the point? To track if people are bringing the bins to curb; and fine them if they don’t.

The chips will allow city workers to monitor how often residents roll carts to the curb for collection. If a chip show a recyclable cart hasn't been brought to the curb in weeks, a trash supervisor will sort through the trash for recyclables.

Trash carts containing more than 10 percent recyclable material could lead to a $100 fine, according to Waste Collection Commissioner Ronnie Owens.

                

This idea actually isn't that futuristic because Britain has been using a similar system for several years to weigh the garbage of their people. Citizens who throw out garbage over their limit are fined. 

I personally think that people should recycle but not to the point where their trashed is searched through at they are fined. If anything, the city could just use the data from the RFID tags for statistical  information. They could then use that data to encourage people to recycle, not force them with threats of fines. If not we might be one step to a society like this:

Interestingly enough the City of Cleveland has reason to gain from recyclables. Cleveland.com reports that for every ton of recyclables they collect, the city makes $26. In comparison, the city was paying $30 per ton to dump trash in a landfill. 

This does remind of another certain device that has is connected for the worse. So maybe, for now, it is best that the recycling bin is left unplugged. 

What do you think? Is this a good way to encourage recycling and maybe even result in more recyclers? Or is this the beginning of a society where government tracks everything you do? For all opinions in between comment below! 

*An RFID (Radio-frequency identification) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves.