High-tech carts will tell on Cleveland residents who don't recycle

[The Northerner]

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It would be a stretch to say that Big Brother will hang out in Clevelanders' trash cans, but the city plans to sort through curbside trash to make sure residents are recycling -- and fine them $100 if they don't.

The move is part of a high-tech collection system the city will roll out next year with new trash and recycling carts embedded with radio frequency identification chips and bar codes.

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. Recyclables include glass, metal cans, plastic bottles, paper and cardboard.

City Council on Wednesday approved spending $2.5 million on high-tech carts for 25,000 households across the city, expanding a pilot program that began in 2007 with 15,000 households.

Read more: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/city_of_cleveland_to_use_high-.html

[rucky]

1. Sorting after the fact is expensive.

But there'd be alot more success with curbside recycling programs if they didn't charge extra for it. At least that how they do it here.

[John Q. Citizen]

2. In cleveland it sounds like they charge extra if you don't do it.

[Warpy]

3. It's hard to say where I'd fall

since I reduce the amount of stuff I have to recycle by buying in bulk and reusing containers for things from maple syrup to liquid soaps. I recycle more in the summer when it's too damned hot to cook. In winter, I bulk buy beans and grains, supplementing them with veggies and an occasional piece of fish. My sodas are homemade with a CO2 setup and reusable bottles.

I don't recycle much because I don't bring it into the house in the first place.

[Sherman A1]

4. Interesting

In my muni, we were issued recycle wheeled totes and I have yet to use it in over a year. We have a great recycle facility and I have long been in the habit of using it. Granted it would be easier just to put it out to the street each week, but then I have to do it on their schedule as opposed to mine.

[Retrograde]

5. Our recycling program's been too successful

My city contracts with another to use their landfill. Unfortunately, whoever wrote the contract promised a minimum amount of garbage that would be delivered, based on what they generated in the past, not taking into account the expanded curbside recycling program. So now we're not generating enough garbage to fulfill the contract, and of course rates are going up, again. I'm still recycling more than I throw out, though!

Going through peoples' garbage if they don't put out the recycling bins often enough sounds kinda dumb, though.