RFID Tracked Trash

Could what you toss in your trash earn you a hefty fine?

A few places around the world (including some parts of the United States) are saying yes! Recycling bins are being fitted with RFID tags that are sending out information about your trash in an effort to enforce proper recycling. The RFID tags send information about things such as the weight of the bin’s contents and whether or not the bin has been brought to the curb for pickup in the first place. The enforcing city can fine a household for improperly discarding recyclables, putting your recycle bin at the curb late and even if the recycle bin has been left on the curb too long.

One of the major cities in the United States recently testing new RFID recycle bins is Cleveland, Ohio. Other states in desperate need of new and lucrative sources of revenue are watching Cleveland very carefully to see if the bins help increase revenue for the state. Extreme recycling programs are nothing new and if all goes well in Cleveland, we may all expect to receive brand new RFID-containing recycle bins in the very near future.

~TeCHS