The term "bin bug" was coined in August 2006 by the

British media There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. The United Kingdom is known for its large music industry, along with its new and upcoming artists. The country also has a ...

to refer to the use of

Radio Frequency Identification Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

(RFID) chips by some local councils to monitor the amount of

domestic waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, a ...

created by each household. The system works by having a unique RFID chip for each household's non-recycling

wheelie bin A waste container, also known as a dustbin, garbage can, and trash can is a type of container that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "rubbish", "basket" and "bin" are more common in British English usage; "trash" and "can" a ...

(such households have two bins: one for general waste and one

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

bin). The chip is scanned by the dustbin lorry and, as it lifts the bin, records the weight of the contents. This is then stored in a central

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...

that monitors the non-recycled waste output of each household.

History in England

If the pilot schemes are successful it is expected that most British cities will introduce the system in the next two years.thisislondon.co.uk. 26 August 2006.
Germans plant bugs in our wheelie bins
". Accessed 1 September 2006.

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

. 27 August 2006.
Bugged bins to promote recycling
. Accessed 5 September 2006. Three local councils in England and five

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

councils have been trialling the scheme. While some councils informed the householders of their intentions to monitor their waste output many others did not.28 August 2006.
Kennet Bin Bug Secrecy — Council leader "not told of true purpose"
". Accessed 1 September 2006.

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

City Council, for example, detailed their plans through local newspaper ''Worcester News'' in August 2005.31 August 2006. ''

Berrow's Worcester Journal ''Berrow's Worcester Journal'' is a weekly freesheet tabloid newspaper, based in Worcester, England. Owned by Newsquest, the newspaper is delivered across central and southern Worcestershire county. History 16th Century Printing Press Worces ...

Aberdeen City gd, Comhairle Cathair Obar Dheathain , native_name_lang = , other_name = , image_skyline = Town House, Municipal Offices and Court Houses in Aberdeen.jpg , image_caption ...

Council kept the scheme quiet until a local newspaper ran the story; the council declared no intention to operate or bring the system online but did not rule out future use.31 August 2006 Outrage over secret bugs in rubbish bins Accessed 31 August 2006. Some councillors said that the purpose of the "bin bugs" was to settle disputes about the ownership of the bins, but others mentioned that the system is a trial and means that they are more prepared should the government introduce a household waste tax. The tax would be in the form of a charge for households that exceed set limits of non-recycled waste. With recycling in the UK amongst the lowest percentage in Europe at 18%, a new tax scheme would have the intention of encouraging domestic recycling and meeting European landfill reduction targets. Each RFID chip costs around £2, with each scanning system costing around £15,000. The

Local Government Association The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. Its core membership is made up of 339 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the Welsh Local Government Association. The LGA is p ...

(LGA) provided £5 million to councils to fund 40 pilot schemes. They are supplied by two rival

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

companies: Sulo and

Deister Electronic The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi (25 km) southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next in the chain ...

. Some suggest that people who removed the chip might not have their bin emptied.

European Directives

The motivation behind the RFID chips are to monitor the production of landfill waste so that councils can comply with the European Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC.

The standard regulating RFID tags for the waste industry is EN 14803 Identification and/or determination of the quantity of waste.

Removing the bug

The

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

tag is located in a recess under the front lip of the bin, either as a self-contained unit or behind a plastic cap. There is some debate as to the legality of removing the RFID chip.The Great Bin Bug Revolt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bin Bug Waste collection Radio-frequency identification Surveillance