General News
27 May, 2023
Bin bug conspiracy theories rubbished
Suspicions that Horsham's new kerbside waste collection system is on a mission to secretly spy on the contents of our bins have been dismissed as rubbish by Horsham Rural City Council. Since the new wheelie-bins were deposited on people's kerbs...
Suspicions that Horsham's new kerbside waste collection system is on a mission to secretly spy on the contents of our bins have been dismissed as rubbish by Horsham Rural City Council.
Since the new wheelie-bins were deposited on people's kerbs ahead of the launch of the four-bin system in April, some eagle-eyed residents have spotted the tiny plastic devices attached to the underside of the new green and purple bin lids.
Known in some municipalities as "bin bugs", they are Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) tags, which store and transmit digital data for capture by a radio receiver, which is then transferred to a database.
But despite a groundswell of concerns on social media - and reports claiming "your rubbish could be spying on you" - council maintains there is no truth behind the suggestion they are monitoring our dirty habits.
"The tags allow our trucks to check in real time whether the bin is at the correct property before it’s emptied," a HRCC spokesperson said.
"The RFID tag doesn’t transmit all the time, it’s only activated when it’s in close proximity (a few centimetres) to the receiver on the truck.
"If there’s no tag, or the bin is somewhere it shouldn’t be, it will not be emptied."
Critics have claimed the tags could later be used to identify when residents haven't done enough recycling - or identify the contents of our bins.
But council maintains there is nothing sinister about the little bugs.
"Radio Frequency ID tags are everywhere," the spokesperson said.
"You’ve probably got a few in your wallet.
"The one in your bin is a small plastic device that goes just under the lip of the bin.
"The only information it contains is the serial number of your bin."
The chief purpose of the tags, says HRCC, is to save ratepayers money.
"Our waste contractors charge us per tonne of waste and recycling they collect," the spokesperson said.
"The RFID tags tell us exactly how many bins have been emptied.
"We can also check the time that a bin was emptied or if bins are presented for collection multiple times on the same day.
"Previously, council staff would review video footage to see whether a missed bin claim was genuine.
"This wasted council resources and ultimately added to the cost of waste services."
The tags are fitted to all green and purple bins delivered as part of the "Better Sorted Waste" services that were introduced by HRCC as part of a state government directive.
Council says they are not capable of transmitting on their own because they do not have a power source - but if they are damaged or removed, they won't be able to "talk" to the refuse collectors.
"Our drivers will not be able to verify that the bin belongs at your address and it will not be emptied," the spokesperson said.
And they rubbished some of the more extreme conspiracy theories doing the bin rounds: "What they cannot do (is) spy on you or track the contents of your bin."
Council invites anyone with questions to contact its waste team on 5382 9777 or email council@hrcc.vic.gov.au