Today's most viewed
| SCHOOL CELEBRATES MILESTONE |  | | | COTSWOLDS NEWEST BOXING CHAMP | | | ENTER OUR COTSWOLDS PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION | | |
|
|
|
Cotswold bins will be microchipped
PLANS to put microchips in Cotswold resident's wheelie bins are an invasion of privacy, according to Liberal Democrat councillors.
The new waste scheme has already been rolled out to homes in Birdlip, Cowley and Coberley and other residents will receive their non-recyclable rubbish bins over the next two months.
But CDC's opposition members were outraged to learn the new bins will contain a microchip which will be read by a scanner on the rubbish trucks.
The news comes after the Standard reported 'bin inspectors' from Gloucestershire County Council were rifling through people's rubbish.
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson (Churn Valley, Lib Dem) said, "What we're seeing here is Big Brother style snooping. First, the bin inspectors, now microchips in everyone's bins. Is there no privacy at all?"
He claimed Britain's increasing 'surveillance society' has got worse in the Cotswolds.
Cllr Deryck Nash, (Chesterton, Lib Dem) said: "We're being spied on by stealth without proper public consultation."
However leader of CDC Lynden Stowe said the microchips are purely to check the rubbish contractor, SITA, is doing its job.
He said: "The chips are there for one reason and one reason only - to monitor the performance of the contractor and ensure that waste collections are taking place.
"It is absolute tosh to suggest that the chips in the bins are capable of recording what is actually in a bin."
CDC waste officer MIke Harris confirmed the microchips would not be able to weigh or monitor waste.
He said: "The idea is to record which bins are being emptied as the bin men will have to scan each bin as they empty it."
9:14am Sunday 16th March 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Darren, Cirencester on 5:26pm Sun 16 Mar 08
When I spoke to the CDC officer manning the Waste stand outside Waterstone's on Friday he provided me with another explanation : "it will stop residents claiming their bins have not been emptied and then receiving a second non-recyclable collection."
The best monitor of SITA is us the residents - we'll phone CDC if our bins remain unemptied!
Everyone knows microchipping a bin (which is a breach of Data Protection laws as no-one has asked my permission)is a prelude to "pay per throw".
This is the Cotswolds not the Soviet Union.
When I spoke to the CDC officer manning the Waste stand outside Waterstone's on Friday he provided me with another explanation : "it will stop residents claiming their bins have not been emptied and then receiving a second non-recyclable collection."
The best monitor of SITA is us the residents - we'll phone CDC if our bins remain unemptied!
Everyone knows microchipping a bin (which is a breach of Data Protection laws as no-one has asked my permission)is a prelude to "pay per throw".
This is the Cotswolds not the Soviet Union.
Posted by: Andrew Carpenter, Cirencester on 9:42am Mon 17 Mar 08
[quote]CDC waste officer MIke Harris confirmed the microchips would not be able to weigh or monitor waste.[/quote]
True, those chips themselves cannot weigh the bin or monitor what is in there. That magic is done by the collection truck. The chip is an identifier that reports which property that bin belongs to. Simply corrolate these two pieces of information together to get the answer.
CDC waste officer MIke Harris confirmed the microchips would not be able to weigh or monitor waste.
True, those chips themselves cannot weigh the bin or monitor what is in there. That magic is done by the collection truck. The chip is an identifier that reports which property that bin belongs to. Simply corrolate these two pieces of information together to get the answer.
Posted by: Steve, Cirencester on 11:04am Mon 17 Mar 08
Yet another example of Cllrs Nash and Hodgkinson scaremongering without having all of the facts.
If CDC officials say that the chips are to check on the performance of SITA then why shouldn't we believe them?
All power to CDC's elbow for making sure that the service is being run correctly.
Perhaps Cllrs Nash and Hodgkinson will, at some point, tell us all what their policies are rather than throwing mud at the Council.
Yet another example of Cllrs Nash and Hodgkinson scaremongering without having all of the facts.
If CDC officials say that the chips are to check on the performance of SITA then why shouldn't we believe them?
All power to CDC's elbow for making sure that the service is being run correctly.
Perhaps Cllrs Nash and Hodgkinson will, at some point, tell us all what their policies are rather than throwing mud at the Council.
Posted by: Darren, Cirencester on 7:54pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Is that Cllr. Steve White (Con) commenting without doing his research ?
I believe what the CDC officier said to me on Friday before he was nobbled (see my first post).
Perhaps Tory led CDC can deny they have absolutely no plans to introduce charges based on the weight of my rubbish ?
If so, then you don't need chips in bins.
Is that Cllr. Steve White (Con) commenting without doing his research ?
I believe what the CDC officier said to me on Friday before he was nobbled (see my first post).
Perhaps Tory led CDC can deny they have absolutely no plans to introduce charges based on the weight of my rubbish ?
If so, then you don't need chips in bins.
Posted by: Mike Harris, CDC Waste Communications Officer on 5:45pm Tue 18 Mar 08
The aim of having microchips fitted in the new grey wheeled bins is to enable the Council to monitor the contractor.
We hope that it will be possible to fit scanning equipment to the rear of the contractor's waste collection vehicles that would record the emptying of each individual bin.
The Council would then be able to tell whether the contractor had emptied the bins that it should have done on any given day.
It would also enable the Council to respond much more efficiently if a resident reported that their bin had not been emptied when it should have been.
Finally, if a mislaid bin was found we would be able to scan its microchip and then return it to the address from where it came from.
The Council and its contractor do not have either the requisite technology or the intention to weigh bins.
The aim of having microchips fitted in the new grey wheeled bins is to enable the Council to monitor the contractor.
We hope that it will be possible to fit scanning equipment to the rear of the contractor's waste collection vehicles that would record the emptying of each individual bin.
The Council would then be able to tell whether the contractor had emptied the bins that it should have done on any given day.
It would also enable the Council to respond much more efficiently if a resident reported that their bin had not been emptied when it should have been.
Finally, if a mislaid bin was found we would be able to scan its microchip and then return it to the address from where it came from.
The Council and its contractor do not have either the requisite technology or the intention to weigh bins.
Posted by: Darren, Cirencester on 6:07pm Tue 18 Mar 08
The problem is - we don't believe CDC !
Unless there is a major problem with bins currently not being emptied - and your own satisfaction survey says there isn't - why on earth would CDC chose to spend £2 per bin to place a German microchip in it ? The sole purpose of the chip must be to assist in monitoring weight once the new lorries are commissioned with the latest technology and then I'd give it 18 months before CDC announces a new policy of "pay to throw" as it very much fits with the "user pay" theme developed lately.
It is definite Big Brother tactics as CDC has failed to communicate this important aspect to residents in any of their Waste literature coming thru' my door and CDC officers gave me a different answer in person last Friday (see my first post).
The problem is - we don't believe CDC !
Unless there is a major problem with bins currently not being emptied - and your own satisfaction survey says there isn't - why on earth would CDC chose to spend £2 per bin to place a German microchip in it ? The sole purpose of the chip must be to assist in monitoring weight once the new lorries are commissioned with the latest technology and then I'd give it 18 months before CDC announces a new policy of "pay to throw" as it very much fits with the "user pay" theme developed lately.
It is definite Big Brother tactics as CDC has failed to communicate this important aspect to residents in any of their Waste literature coming thru' my door and CDC officers gave me a different answer in person last Friday (see my first post).
Posted by: Clive Bennett, South Cerney on 12:32pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Paranoia, paranoia,paranoia. If it was not so pathetic it would be funny.
The Lib-Dems should join the real world and concentrate on delivering facts not fiction.
Ps. I understand that CDC have no plans to attach tracking devices to cars using Cirencester car parks to ensure people don't use them too often.
Paranoia, paranoia,paranoia. If it was not so pathetic it would be funny.
The Lib-Dems should join the real world and concentrate on delivering facts not fiction.
Ps. I understand that CDC have no plans to attach tracking devices to cars using Cirencester car parks to ensure people don't use them too often.
Posted by: Crispin, South Cerney on 1:16pm Thu 20 Mar 08
CDC don't need to attach tracking devices to cars - they've ensured people won't be parking in Ciren due to the increased charges coming on 1 April !
CDC don't need to attach tracking devices to cars - they've ensured people won't be parking in Ciren due to the increased charges coming on 1 April !
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
