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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255565/Spy-chips-hidden-2-5-million-dustbins-council-snoopers-plan-pay-throw-tax.html

Spy chips hidden in 2.5 MILLION dustbins:
60pc rise in electronic bugs as council snoopers plan pay-as-you-throw tax
By Steve Doughty

The growing threat of a stealth tax on the rubbish we throw away was exposed by startling figures yesterday.

More than 2.5million homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents.

This is an increase of nearly two-thirds in just a year. The bins, which can be electronically identified


Stealth tax: 2,629,052 homes have now been given bins with chips

Under such schemes - which are likely to be hugely unpopular - families who put out more waste will pay higher taxes to their local council.

Disclosure of the rapid spread of chipped bins followed the announcement this week of the first council to bring in a bin tax. Bristol City is presenting its scheme as a reward for recyclers, with cash payments to homes that leave out less rubbish.

The spread of chipped bins marks the revival of a tax idea that the Government appeared to have abandoned last year.

Gordon Brown promised to ditch bin taxes in the spring of 2008, at a point when the unpopularity among voters of fortnightly collections, strict bin rules, and the threat of pay-as-you-throw was at its height.

In January last year, ministers acknowledged that not one council had applied to test pay-as-you-throw schemes.

But yesterday, research by the Big Brother Watch campaign group showed that the use of chipped bins has quietly spread over the past year.

In March 2009, a survey based on Freedom of Information inquiries showed there were 42 councils which used bins with microchips. But the latest check, also based on FOI requests, put the number of authorities with electronic bins at 68 - one in five of all those that collect household rubbish.

According to the responses from town halls, 2,629,052 homes have now been given bins with chips.

Alex Deane of Big Brother Watch, said: 'The number of local councils placing microchips in bins is increasing, despite the fact that only one of them has volunteered to trial the Government's pay-as-you-throw scheme.

'Councils are waiting until the public aren't watching to begin surveillance on our waste habits, intruding into people's private lives and introducing punitive taxes on what we throw away. The British public doesn't want this technology, these fines, or this intrusion.

'If local authorities have no intention to monitor our waste then they should end the surreptitious installation of these bin microchips.'

The campaign group complained that the bins allow councils to examine household rubbish and sell the information to commercial concerns as well as to impose taxes.

It also warned that collection of data from chipped bins could show when households were on holiday, opening the way to abuse by criminals.

The Local Government Association said that microchips were only put in bins to improve services to the public, for example by helping the elderly.

A spokesman said: 'Microchips simply identify the house to which a bin belongs, they do not mean councils can analyse what people are throwing away or issue fines.
'Putting microchips in people's bins can allow councils to provide people with a better service that costs less.

'If an elderly resident needs help getting their bin collected and returned, a microchip quickly flags it up to the refuse collector, saving time and money.'

However, using a microchip to identify a bin means that technology on a dustcart can then weigh it and the information can be used to prepare a tax bill.

Tories said they believed there were even more than 2.6million homes equipped with microchipped bins, numbers of which have been notoriously hard to track in recent years.

Tory local government spokesman Caroline Spelman said: 'Labour Ministers are secretly planning to roll out bin taxes across the country after the election if Gordon Brown can cling to power.

'The Government have already forced through bin tax laws and have been funding the bin technology to collect the taxes.'

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'There are no Government plans to introduce microchips in bins.

'Any use of microchips is a local authority decision - some councils use them to monitor levels of waste. This is not about spying on people or fining them.'

However, in 2008 nearly 100 councils ran investigations into the contents of their residents' bins, in some cases to check on what rubbish they dump and in others to try to obtain information on their incomes and lifestyles.

Response to the "Hey Craig" thread...

I'll be the first to admit that Glen, can come across as aggressive at times.

He's angry, no doubt about that.

But if you were wondering why? Look no further than this news from the UK! This business has been going on, virtually under the citizen's noses. And when the extent of it is discovered, and it finally becomes news... guess what?

It is often too late to UNDO!

Rest assured, that THIS is OUR future too! And only the BEGINNING!

Glen had some choice adjectives for others (especially Canadians) awhile back now, but he has been pretty civil since then.

So, as you are making premature superficial judgements of the man, just understand... He loves his country. He loves freedom. And unlike many other Americans of late, Glen actually had the INTELLIGENCE and DETERMINATION to "USE HIS FREEDOM" to bring a measure of financial independence and success to his life, and improve his children's futures in the process!

Now he surveys the "new" political landscape in America, and considers all the sacrifices he made PERSONALLY for his own family, and is irate as hell, that ivy league educated politicians, are trying to STEAL what he has created for himself and DOLE IT OUT, to those who are often too lazy, or not driven enough to MAKE IT THEMSELVES, BY THEIR "OWN" WORK!!!

He played by the rules, and SUCCEDED!

Now the government wants to CHANGE THE RULES!

Wouldn't YOU be pissed too?

I know I would be!

AND I AM!!!

I found this story noteworthy personally, because England is older than we are, as a nation. We have been following their history in some key ways, not the least of which, is following their lead, in converting from a strong INDUSTRIAL economy, to a primarily SERVICE based economy. It's not that this, in itself is a bad thing. The world evolves. But if the trend continues to the extreme, it would mean that countries like China would be the only real industrial powers left. I doubt very seriously that, that fate, would be a good thing.

But we may very well be following other trends of theirs as well.

A trend toward more socialistic practices and higher taxes, and a more controlled existence as people... limiting our options, and virtually ELIMINATING the traditional stepping stones, that people have used to propel themselves out of poverty or lower middle class, into a higher standard of living, and even wealth, for those with the drive, ambition and sacrifice to get there.

Our nation is being changed.

And not for the better!

Glen is intelligent enough to see it happening and understand it's consequences!

Are you?

Glen and I don't agree on many issues, I'm sure. But this is NOT one of them. If you are so determined to live in a country, merely "EQUAL" to any others, including third world nations, here's an idea....

MOVE TO ONE!

And "STOP" trying to convert THIS great nation into one!

And Phil,

I know we've been getting along pretty well for a while, so allow me to beat you to the punch, if I may...

"Seriously Craig? Garbage!?? Garbage in the UK??? We're all going to be done in by GARBAGE IN THE UK???"

"Once again, the great Craig Maxim, Prophet of Doom, is saving America from the great threat of our times... MicroChips in UK garbage bins!!! Thank you Craig!"

"Craig Maxim to the rescue, and Sarah Palin in a bikini and an automatic weapon in hand, at his side!!! What could we possibly fear?!!!"

"What could we fear? Gee, I know... instead of worrying about RFID chips in UK garbage, how about getting angry at the Bush administration for raping our civil rights, through the Patriot Act, among others, and ruining our economy by getting us into 2 wars which have been dragging on for almost 10 years now... RIGHT HERE AT HOME?!!!"


How'd I do brother Phil?

Actually, I was gonna say that if they tried that here, littering & illegal dumping would increase a thousand-fold...

Actually, I was gonna say that if they tried that here, littering & illegal dumping would increase a thousand-fold...

I was thinking the same thing.

I think they should put electronic surveillance chips in every conceivable place people either dump trash or take a dump. For example last year I went to go to the public pit toilet at a Kansas State Fishing lake and some a-hole previously had taken a dump in the urinal. That guy should have been taxed $1,000 for illegal dumping....

Careful, bob! Some nit-weasel is bound to hear ya & try to implement another new law!

Reverse tax ... they pay us for all the rubbish that comes out of congress.

I threw down on a jerk whizzin in the sink in a public restroom in Houston once.
Not proud of it ... was really stupid.
But man he cut that stream off FAST!!

Craig,thanks! You have a way with words.

I just get really pissed off when people fall in the trap of believing the untruth.

All I really want is for every American to succede to their maximum potential.

I am stunned when I hear all the negative attitudes that we as Americans have developed.

I am even more stunned when I hear people arguing for their own limitations.

You want to talk music,,,,, Perfect example of a positive attitude.. NOISY KUNG FU. Sans has kept these guys together , and they have grown and become so much better. Positive attitude++++++++

You guys are all missing the point,,, I want you to succede,,,no matter how many lies are trying to stop you.

I'm not going to go on,,,,where Craig is factual, I am to philosophical.
LET THE NAME CALLING BEGIN

And how exactly do you know that ours over here aren't?
I think its a good thing. People dump stuff everywhere without thinking. I'm sure services know the average weight but printers, grass, wood and other stuff just doesn't belong there at all.

Funny thing is this topic is directed as a moment in time over here for some supposed future? So what? I see things on the damned road everyday especially here in NJ. (There is a song there).

Just how many putrid rivers will it exactly take?

The biggest problem for me Chippy, is that it appears to have been done, by government, with little, if any, public debate on the issue. What else will government do and only inform us of, AFTER they get caught doing it?

Funny thing is, that, even though this occurred in the UK, most of the comments I saw about it, were from AMERICANS!

After Americans berating the British over this, and warnings to them of "Big Brother", etc... Someone mentioned that a similar thing is effectively happening HERE, in one state. He says that you MUST purchase a certain color trash bag from the government, with their marking on it, and that they quickly look through the bag, and if ANYTHING recyclable is found inside, they leave the bags there, and won't pick them up, and I presume, a fine would be in order after that. Paying for garbage bags, is like an additional tax.

Surely there is a BETTER way, than the government going through our garbage!

Yes Craig but England has one. It's not perfect at all goodness no it isn't. I'm sure our Canadian colleagues will admit to at least this. The law is the law. You are informed beforehand and hearsay does the rest. It's not about BIG BROTHER. It's about people no doing what they should be doing and that affects everyone.

I was reading your post about the Chinese the other day and would add that Cat's have vocals equal in the amount of local Chinese Alpha/Numerical values. What will be, will be I suppose.

Anyway and whatever? I don't mind you Craig or anybody else here either. I just wish for better times, but perhaps that bad times have given me time? In that then there is an anomaly, a disgrace and a wish for a better personal future. Someday maybe, but only I feel and sadly when people have made their minds up perhaps? Because I wish this on every human being on this planet, this day.

The biggest problem for me Chippy, is that it appears to have been done, by government, with little, if any, public debate on the issue. What else will government do and only inform us of, AFTER they get caught doing it?

Funny thing is, that, even though this occurred in the UK, most of the comments I saw about it, were from AMERICANS! ]