5000 bins to be ‘tagged’

Wishaw residents could soon have their recycling bins electronically tagged.

North Lanarkshire Council are set to attach radiofrequency identification devices to the wheelie bins at 5000 properties.

The £150,000 smart waste monitoring project is being funded by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) and was given the green light by councillors at a virtual meeting of the local authority’s environment committee.

Three bin lorries with smart technology installed will collect the tagged bins and have the ability to weigh the amount of mixed recycling, and food and garden waste being collected, as well as waste for landfill.

They will be able to ascertain how individual households are participating in recycling and the data will be used to test the impact and success of different campaign methods on improving engagement with household recycling.

The trial will last for two years and it is hoped it can help push recycling rates in North Lanarkshire to more than 60 percent.

It is still to be decided exactly where it will take place in North Lanarkshire. It’s expected that those properties chosen to participate will be somewhere in the middle of the council’s current range of recycling rates and on the routes of one set of bin lorries.

According to a report prepared for committee members: “Identification tags will be installed on wheeled bins of the 5000 properties, providing information from individual bins.

“Unique references will be issued to each property, but no personal data will be gathered; there will be no disruption to routes, collection frequency and material type will not change.

“While the trial does not measure contamination, the data will provide levels of recycling participation against residual waste disposal which will be collected at household level.

“Key to the project will be to determine which campaigns and interventions work best to reduce residual waste and increase recycling.”

Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig councillor Nathan Wilson questioned whether participation was compulsory for those chosen to participate.

Andrew McPherson, Head of Waste solutions for North Lanarkshire, informed the committee members: “If any household wants to be excluded, we will – but hopefully a sufficient number will see the benefit and will be happy to participate.”

He added: “We need to drive up our recycling rate and this is hopefully one way that will be done.”

The pilot aimed at driving up recycling rates was unanimously agreed by councillors on the committee.