Say NO! to Chip & Bin!
Outline of Problem
Back in the summer of 2006 Tamworth Council introduced a policy of micro chipping residents black wheelie bins. As part of the chipping process, residents were required to pay a £10 charge (now £15) for the privalige of having the chip fitted.
When questioned the council stated that the micro chip was to be used to trace bins should they be stolen. at the time Tamworth council claimed that (depending on who you spoke to) somewhere around 150 plus wheelie bins were being stolen each month. When asked about the reasoning behind chipping our bins the council said that it felt that many of the wheelie bins that were being stolen were in fact not stolen but that residents were attempting to claim a second black bin to make up for a cut in refuse collections. (Tamworth Council were one of the first boroughs to adopt the radical twice monthly collection service) The council also felt that an increasing number of wheelie bins were being stolen by neighbours who again wanted to make up for a cut in refuse collections.
As my wheelie bin had been stolen I felt morally outraged that without investigation tamworth Council were suggesting that may be I had not had my bin stolen and that I was lying or that one of my neighbours may have stolen it.
I refused to pay the £10 charge and so was not issued with a replacement bin. Nearly two years on I am still without a black bin. As I am only permitted to put two standard black sacks every two weeks you can image I am left with an excess amount of household refuse. Therefore I am forced to make regular trips to the tip at Lichfield.
Pay as you throw
Residents were informed back in 2006 that the reason for fitting microchips to our wheelie bins was to simply allow the council to trace and track stolen bins.
At the time I suggested that the council may have invested in its own private satellite to track bins as they moved around the borough much in the the way that GPS works in may cars. The irony in this comment was sadly missed by council officials as I was now questioning their very authority.
However in late august of 2006 it came to light that across the country councils had been secretly micro chipping wheelie bins in an attempt to pave the way for the introduction of a 'pay as you throw' system of waste disposal.
The 'pay as you throw' system operates in many parts of Europe. It's quite simple to understand. Bins are microchipped and are weighed by the dustcart when they are emptied. (See image below). The microchip allows the bin to be assigned to a household. This then allows the household to be charged for the disposal of the rubbish in the bin. Hence the phrase 'pay as you throw'. Residents are billed for the amount of rubish that is in their bin.
Image taken from www.thetimes.co.uk - August 2006
Can you smell something a bit strange? (And I don't mean the rubbish collecting around us due to a twice monthly refuse collection service).
Tamworth Council has stated on many occasions that the micro chips are only placed in wheelie bins to enable them to be traced when (or if) they are stolen.
Here's a webpage ( www.otto.co.uk/web/page.aspx?id=1040 ) from the site of the company responsible for supplying Tamworth Council with it's wheelie bins. The same company is also responsible for chipping them. Can you see any mention of the chips being used to track stolen bins to their owners? All I can find is references to rolling out 'Pay as you Thow'!
How do I know if my bin is chipped?
Just look at the image below. The chip is usually fitted under the front lip of the bin on the left hand side (as you face it). Just tilt your bin slightly backwards and look for the black insert in the socket as detailed below.
Image taken from Express newspapers
Why should we all be opposed to the micro chipping of wheelie bins?
The council has stated on several occasions that the sole reason for the chipping of wheelie bins is to attempt to reduce the number of wheelie bin thefts in Tamworth. Indeed the council issued a waste policy in the summer of 2007 stating that it is opposed to 'pay as you throw'. Given national press coverage of this issue i am suggesting that this MAY NOT be the case. Through the chipping of bins today the council is now providing the infrastructure that will allow, at some time in the near future, 'pay as you thow' to be a reality in Tamworth. A point is case is Germany where councils already micro chip many wheelie bins and charge residents for the amount of waste they do not recycle. For the evidence of this click here.
The council has stated that residents must pay a £15 charge to have a chip fitted. Based on the minutes of a council meeting this charge will pay for the cost of fitting the chip and delivering the wheelie bin. As residents we already pay for a refuse collection service in our council tax. We are being forced to pay a further £15 for no obvious improvement in the service we already receive. If residents refuse to pay the charge then the council will not provide a wheelie bin. I refused to pay the charge some 18 months ago and so have not had a black wheelie bin since!
Many residents are concerned that if the 'Pay as you throw' scheme comes into force then they will be faced with increased household bills for something that they cannot control. For example, many foods and consumer goods come with excess packaging. Although the vast majority of Tamworth residents who have expressed an opinion support the concept of recycling, they want the council to take note of this concern and assist in lobbying central government to encourage manufacturers to responsibly package their products. It is not fair that Tamworth residents should be penalised for something out of their control.
Councillors are put in office to represent the view, opinions and wishes of the residents within their borough. Based on a sample opinion it would appear that regardless of the reason the majority of Tamworth residents do not want a micro chipped wheelie bin. Therefore, the council has a duty to carry out the wishes of the people it works for. Namely, to overturn the decision to micro chip all wheelie bins.
Still not convinced?
Look at this news story published on March 17th 2008.
...and this one
So what can you do?
Lobby your local councillor, write to the Tamworth Herald, Tamworth Times etc. Pass onto them this simple message...
"If Tamworth Council are adamant that 'Pay as you throw' is not going to be introduced in the future then they should not only remove all chips from wheelie bins in use but they should also stop chipping replacement bins.
This is not rocket science - it's a simple solution to a problem created by Tamworth Council."
You could also...
And make sure you always...
Remember - By working together we can make a better Tamworth!
"Dear Richard
Click on the link and show your support for the return of a weekly waste collection. This site also tells the truth about the health effects and other issues of 'twice monthly' refuse collections!