Another Big Brother happening

[Praxeas]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/07/trash-police-invade-thanks-government-stimulus/

They don't carry guns and there's no police academy to train them, but if you don't recycle your trash properly, they can walk up your driveway and give you a $100 ticket. They know what's in your trash, they know what you eat, they know how often you bring your recycles to the curb -- and they may be coming to your town soon. That is, if they're not already there.
In a growing number of cities across the U.S., local governments are placing computer chips in recycling bins to collect data on refuse disposal, and then fining residents who don't participate in recycling efforts and forcing others into educational programs meant to instill respect for the environment.

[coadie]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/07/trash-police-invade-thanks-government-stimulus/

They don't carry guns and there's no police academy to train them, but if you don't recycle your trash properly, they can walk up your driveway and give you a $100 ticket. They know what's in your trash, they know what you eat, they know how often you bring your recycles to the curb -- and they may be coming to your town soon. That is, if they're not already there.
In a growing number of cities across the U.S., local governments are placing computer chips in recycling bins to collect data on refuse disposal, and then fining residents who don't participate in recycling efforts and forcing others into educational programs meant to instill respect for the environment.

Just toss your beer cans in the neighbors newspaper recycling. That will fix him. He will be sentenced to recyclers anon for 6 months sensitivity training.

[Jermyn Davidson]

This is what happens when you have stupid laws.

Enforcing the stupid laws in a stupid manner-- where are the strong people of these cities? Why aren't they mounting a referrendum or something?


Where's a good community organizer when you need one?

[coadie]

This is what happens when you have stupid laws.

Enforcing the stupid laws in a stupid manner-- where are the strong people of these cities? Why aren't they mounting a referrendum or something?


Where's a good community organizer when you need one?

Stupid liberals. They represent voters that can't make decisions.
This is from the community organizers.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Stupid liberals. They represent voters that can't make decisions.
This is from the community organizers.

A whole city of indecisive voters?

Sounds like good intentions gone awry to me.
Smacks of laziness too-- not enough people care enough to stop the lunacy.

[A.W. Bowman]

Well, let's see. Someone has to pay for the chips, the enforcement officers and the recycle trainers and all of the support personnel. If it were me, I would have made the fines $250.00 for the first failure and $500.00 for each additional occurrence, plus 30 days in jail. One would have to pay court costs and the salaries of the jailers. Gee, this could be fun! And, look at all that money we could get in just to hire some more bureaucrats who are not held accountable to the citizens.

1984 was a little late in getting here, but now we can relax, everything (er, everyone) is now under control.

The invention of the chip sure made my computer run nice. Now, those little bugs are starting to run my life. :grampa

[OnTheFritz]

Meh. There'll be a hack online within days of major deployment.

[A.W. Bowman]

If anyone islooking for a longer news article:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/07/trash-police-invade-thanks-government-stimulus/

[CC1]

I loved the Super Bowl tv commercial last year with the "green police" arresting people for not having CFL lightbulbs, etc. It was probably prophetic.

[commonsense]

So Big Brother is alive and well!!! :razz

In our city rcycling is voluntary.As I recall about 10% participate.
The recycle bin is free. You can recycle the usuals...plastic with the 1 or 2 in the triangle, newspaper, junkmail, cardboard, cereal boxes......but NO glass.

Someone must have been cut....glass was taken off the list. You can personally take glass bottles to a drop off site.

It's all rather low key. I do recycle but it's not a big deal if I toss a soup can in the regular trash.

[commonsense]

In my hometown (in a liberal state and obviously liberal city :spit) it's an entirely different ballgame.

It's required.
Not sure if it is enforced but the threat is there.

The recycle bin is for the ususal "stuff". But supposedly you could be fined if "recycles" are in the regular trash.

They can't do cardboard boxes....you must take them yourself to a drop off site.

Grass clippings have another drop off site.

( in my fair city....you can put out a trash can that is labeled YW ((yard waste)) and leaves, grass, small twigs will be picked up on trash collection day by the yard waste truck.)

Don't misunderstand..........I'm in favor of the
Reduce--Re Use--Recycle __ motto because I consider it to be "commonsense" .

[Walks_in_islam]

And I was mad when my kids had to give their fingerprints / biometric scans to their school in Louisiana to get their lunches......

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/07/trash-police-invade-thanks-government-stimulus/

They don't carry guns and there's no police academy to train them, but if you don't recycle your trash properly, they can walk up your driveway and give you a $100 ticket. They know what's in your trash, they know what you eat, they know how often you bring your recycles to the curb -- and they may be coming to your town soon. That is, if they're not already there.
In a growing number of cities across the U.S., local governments are placing computer chips in recycling bins to collect data on refuse disposal, and then fining residents who don't participate in recycling efforts and forcing others into educational programs meant to instill respect for the environment.

[Twisp]

I loved the Super Bowl tv commercial last year with the "green police" arresting people for not having CFL lightbulbs, etc. It was probably prophetic.

Indeed:

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.
The expansion will continue at 25,000 households a year until nearly all of the city's 150,000 residences are included. Existing carts might be retrofitted with the microchips.

"We're trying to automate our system to be a more efficient operation," Owens said. "This chip will assist us in doing our job better."

The chip-embedded carts are just starting to catch on elsewhere. The Washington, D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Va., earlier this year announced it would issue carts to check whether people are recycling.
Some cities in England have used the high-tech trash carts for several years to weigh how much garbage people throw out. People are charged extra for exceeding allotted limits.

Cleveland officials want to automate nearly all residential waste collection under a program being financed in part by a new fee that went into effect earlier this year.
The automated trucks allow drivers to remain in the cab and empty carts using a remote-control arm. Cleveland owns three of these trucks and plans to buy nine more.

Recycling is good for the environment and the city's bottom line, officials said. Cleveland pays $30 a ton to dump garbage in landfills, but earns $26 a ton for recyclables.

The city last year sent 220,000 tons of garbage to landfills and collected 5,800 tons of recyclables.
City Council approved updated trash collection ordinances last month to include a section on automated waste collection and curbside recycling. The new law changes infractions of the law from a minor misdemeanor to a civil penalty. The recycling law only applies to residents who have been issued the carts.

The new law also prohibits people from setting out excessive amounts of trash on tree lawns, which officials say has been an ongoing problem. Fines for excessive trash will range from $250 to $500 depending on the amount.
In either case, the property owner receives the citation. Landlords are responsible for making sure their tenants follow the law.
Owens said Cleveland will conduct a public-service campaign to educate residents about the new collection system and recycling program.

The city stepped up enforcement of ordinances governing trash collection last year by issuing 2,900 tickets, nearly five times more tickets than in 2008. Those infractions include citations for people who put out their trash too early or fail to bring in their garbage cans from the curb in a timely manner.
The Division of Waste Collection is on track to meet its goal of issuing 4,000 citations this year, Owens said.
"We're trying to make sure Cleveland stays clean and residents are properly informed on how these things should be set out," he said. "By issuing these tickets, it's helping us change the attitude or perception on how things should be set out."

Councilman Martin Keane, who represents the West Park neighborhood, said he would prefer that the Division of Waste Collection use more discretion when deciding whether to issue a ticket. A warning in many instances would suffice, he said.
"Everybody knows the ones who blatantly disregards the law," Keane said. "Those are the people we should hit with a $100 ticket."


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

[Praxeas]

And I was mad when my kids had to give their fingerprints / biometric scans to their school in Louisiana to get their lunches......
Is it happening yet in SA? Given the current climate with radicals Id be surprised it hasn't happened yet or is in the works. I believe it will eventually be a global work to categorize all humans and keep track of them. It's the only real way to stop crime and terrorism...at least that is how they will see it. Not only biometrics but all financial transactions will require some sort of computerized input to make the sale valid, no cash

[BeenThinkin]

This is what happens when you have stupid laws.

Enforcing the stupid laws in a stupid manner-- where are the strong people of these cities? Why aren't they mounting a referrendum or something?


Where's a good community organizer when you need one?

In the White House! :ursofunny

BT