FOR those who have received their new wheelie bins, if you have read the pamphlet you will note that the new black bin for rubbish is fitted with an electronic ID tag.

I contacted Dorset Waste Partnership to ask why.

They said it was to track your bin if it went missing or settle disputes between neighbours over wheelie-bin ownership.

With this bugging technology, the electronic chips are carefully hidden under the moulded front 'lip' of wheelie bins used by householders for non-recyclable waste.

As the bin is raised by the mechanical hoister at the back of the truck, the chip passes across an antenna fitted to the lifting mechanism.

That enables the antenna to 'read' a serial number assigned to each property in the street.

A computer inside the truck weighs the bin as it is raised, subtracts the weight of the bin itself and records the weight of the contents on an electronic data card.

When the truck returns to the depot, all the information collected on the round is transmitted to a hand-held device and downloaded on to the council’s centralised computer.

Each household can be billed for the amount of excess waste collected - even though they have already paid for the services through their council tax.

This technology is actually intended to enable councils to impose fines on householders who exceed limits on the amount of non-recyclable waste they put out.

New powers for councils to do this are expected to be introduced by the Government shortly.

The bins are not fitted with locks.

So there is nothing to stop someone putting rubbish in your bin when you place your bin out on collection day.

David Cumming

Dawlish Crescent

Weymouth