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This is truly incredible (I linked to it in an earlier post):

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.

Ignore the completely Orwellian nature of this, or that life imitates fiction, is there not a ridiculous contradiction here? Do we not have policies (or want them) to raise the cost of purchasing and using materials (the “reduce and reuse part of the 3Rs)? What if a consumers is reusing everything he buys, or not buying much of anything which requires recycling. The “Handicapper Generals” will fine (and what happens if you do not pay the fine?) people who are doing the right thing.

What makes this even more ridiculous is that curbside recycling programs turn out to not be very good ideas either. Who is behind this tyranny?

2 Responses to “More on the Green Police”

  1. Chris says:

    We signed up for one of these programs with our local garbage collector, basically they weigh our recycling bin and give us points for how much it weighs. I told my wife at the time it was one step away from trash police. We’ve had a few nasty notes from the recycling collector when we didn’t take the Styrofoam out of a box we recycled or tried to recycle “non conforming” aluminum. The points don’t buy much but does give us $10 off coupons for our favorite restaurant. (Yes, we sold out for $10 off coupons…but the restaurant is good…) Once they turn the recycling bin into a policing action then they’ll find the chip in their can mysteriously absent. Reference: http://www.recyclebank.com/

  2. Michael says:

    Strange to think that I though trash service was supposed to be their service to me. I guess I pay those bills for the luxury of being able to serve.

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