‘Did you know the council is tracking what you throw out?’: Rubbish bin discovery sparks debate

Most people don't give a second thought to what happens once their rubbish is collected—but what if your bin was keeping tabs on you?

A Melbourne resident has sparked debate after making a surprising discovery about his council-issued bin, leading to speculation about just how closely waste disposal is being monitored.

What he found—and the council’s response—has left many Australians questioning what really happens when the rubbish truck rolls in.


A Melbourne man claimed his local council was tracking his rubbish after finding what he believed was a monitoring device on his bin.

In a video posted on social media on 20 February, he pointed to a small chip on the underside of his council-issued bin from Casey Council in Melbourne’s southeast.

‘Did you know, the council are even tracking what you throw out?’ he wrote.


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Aussie claims council is tracking rubbish. Image source: Tiktok/efxr6/Pexel/Faisal Rahman


‘They've got a chip in here, and they're monitoring what you throw out in the truck.’

He later said he received a ‘naughty note’ from the council for failing to remove the lids from bottles before disposal.

‘So, someone's looking at the bins,’ he said.

‘Whether someone's snooping and looking in my bins or the truck is, I don't know. ‘

‘I'm getting a fair bit of hate from my last video. '

‘I think people didn't understand, this is a chip so it just registers your address...it weighs the bin, the truck weighs the bin and the truck films what comes out of your bin.’


The small chip appeared to be a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, a device used by councils to link bins to specific properties, making it easier to track missing bins.

Some Australians claimed they had received warnings about incorrect bin use.

‘We have had multiple "warnings" put on ours for "incorrect use",’ one person said.

‘If they weren't monitoring, there'd be no warnings.’


However, a City of Casey spokesperson shared to the media on 22 February that the council ‘does not use and has no plans to use RFIDs or other tracking devices in any of its kerbside collection services’.

‘The City of Casey's bin inspection program involves a manual inspection for contamination in previously contaminated recycling or food and garden bins.’

Horsham Rural City Council, located in Victoria’s northwest, confirmed it does use RFID tags on organic waste and glass bins to ensure they are at the correct address before being emptied.

According to its website: ‘The RFID tag doesn't transmit all the time, it's only activated when it's in close proximity (a few centimetres) to the receiver on the truck.’

‘Most of the time it doesn't do anything as it doesn't have its own power source.’

Several councils across Australia have introduced RFID technology, with some residents arguing they were not properly informed.


In 2017, Randwick City Council addressed concerns about the technology after media speculation suggested the tags were being used for surveillance.

'A recent story by Channel 7 News would have you believe it's some sort of spying device.’

‘The truth is a lot less sensational.’

‘As many residents would be aware, it's been there for ten years, it saves council money and makes managing your rubbish more efficient.’

‘The tag is allocated to the property address where the bin lives.’

‘Each time it’s collected, Council’s garbage trucks record the bin tag number, the time of collection and the weight of the bin.’


In a previous story, new bin rules sparked debate as councils introduced a rating system for waste disposal.

The changes received mixed reactions, with some residents welcoming the initiative while others questioned its fairness.

Could these developments signal even stricter monitoring of household rubbish?

Key Takeaways
  • A Melbourne man claimed his local council was tracking his rubbish after discovering a small chip on his bin, which he believed was monitoring waste disposal.
  • The chip resembled an RFID tag, a technology used by some Australian councils to identify bins and track collection details, though Casey Council denied using such devices.
  • Some Australians reported receiving warnings for incorrect bin use, supporting concerns about waste being monitored, while Horsham Rural City Council confirmed using RFID tags to verify bin locations.
  • Randwick City Council previously clarified that RFID tags have been used for years to improve waste management, dismissing claims they were spying devices.

With councils using technology to manage waste collection, do you think RFID tags are a helpful tool or an invasion of privacy?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
 

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in the dark of the night how do they manage use of a bin.if i pay for the bin so anything attached will be removed. one can be sneaky too.
 
No-no


In Australia, the general rule of thumb is a big no-no when it comes to flushing dog poop. Unlike human waste, dog waste can carry harmful parasites and bacteria that conventional wastewater treatment systems may not effectively eliminate.
I just read an article on the subject of toxocara, the "nasty" found in some animal faeces.

It is claimed that the toxocara parasite is not killed by standard waste water treatment methods but advise you to put animal faeces in your waste bin.

How stupid is that? Every time you put something in your bin, you risk exposure to toxocara!
 
I just read an article on the subject of toxocara, the "nasty" found in some animal faeces.

It is claimed that the toxocara parasite is not killed by standard waste water treatment methods but advise you to put animal faeces in your waste bin.

How stupid is that? Every time you put something in your bin, you risk exposure to toxocara!
They also say handling cat poo gives you toxoplasmosis. I bred Siamese cats for almost 20 years cleaned up litter trays three times a day and never got sick.

I don't flush my animals faeces down the toilet but I know heaps of people do, and I think everybody else would. Thousands of people a day probably.
I don't make a habit of drinking toilet water and I wash my hands with hot water and soap, so I think I'm pretty safe.
 
Here in Tasmania we get tip tickets from the council when they send your rates out our tips are now privately owned
 
They also say handling cat poo gives you toxoplasmosis. I bred Siamese cats for almost 20 years cleaned up litter trays three times a day and never got sick.

I don't flush my animals faeces down the toilet but I know heaps of people do, and I think everybody else would. Thousands of people a day probably.
I don't make a habit of drinking toilet water and I wash my hands with hot water and soap, so I think I'm pretty safe.
where was your cattery? My name in here was my breeder name.
 
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I think it is a good idea, as so many do not recycle, (too lazy) and some do put the wrong item in the recycle bin. Unfortunately, attending to a Client, (Age Care), they were notified that there was an item in the recycle bin, that should have gone in the Red bin. The Client`s Husband, noticed that a school kid had picked up a bit of rubbish and placed it in the wrong bin. As the Husband had some walking problems, also a number of stairs, both front and back, I was busy showering his Wife, he couldn`t remove the item to the correct bin. So, he got a rather nasty letter from the Council re the wrong item in the wrong bin. And it was just a very small item.
 
It was Che. In Victoria, many years ago now. I was 22 then, 78 now.
I picked a nice short name for my breeder name, leaving me more options for full names.
mine was in Qld and made up of 2 letters of my children's, grandchildren's and my names. Hence Gamiry. My favourite brothers were Gamiry Taj Mahal who went to Qld and Australian Double Grand Champion and his brother was Gamiry Zeus who went to Holland and thence to world champ in Russia. I don't have any now but have a 4 foot tank of fish.
 
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I think it is a good idea, as so many do not recycle, (too lazy) and some do put the wrong item in the recycle bin. Unfortunately, attending to a Client, (Age Care), they were notified that there was an item in the recycle bin, that should have gone in the Red bin. The Client`s Husband, noticed that a school kid had picked up a bit of rubbish and placed it in the wrong bin. As the Husband had some walking problems, also a number of stairs, both front and back, I was busy showering his Wife, he couldn`t remove the item to the correct bin. So, he got a rather nasty letter from the Council re the wrong item in the wrong bin. And it was just a very small item.
My workplace was threatened by Shoalhaven City Council to cease rubbish collection since garbage was placed in the recycling bins.

My workplace? A residential facility for adults with a disability where our main aim was to promote independence in their lives rather than practice "learned helplessness" by teaching domestic skills..

I took the matter up with council and explained the situation succinctly where they withdrew their threat of any action.

A threat of NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) intervention made sure of that.
 
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We were told that it identifies that is actually "registered" by the council to ensure people don't put out bins that aren't included in council rates. I you want to put out an extra bin you are supposed to pay a one off fee
That’s logical, and not unrealistic. But checking your rubbish is just gross, and highly intrusive!
 
My workplace was threatened by Shoalhaven City Council to cease rubbish collection since garbage was placed in the recycling bins.

My workplace? A residential facility for adults with a disability where our main aim was to promote independence in their lives rather than practice "learned helplessness" by teaching domestic skills..

I took the matter up with council and explained the situation succinctly where they withdrew their threat of any action.

A threat of NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) intervention made sure of that.
I’m so pleased your workplace took a stand! Any level of independence should be maintained and promoted. If it’s an issue put the recycle bin where the residents don’t have access and allow them to a access other bins, but thanks for not taking that right away
 
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We are being watched at all angles. About time the effort was put into reducing real crime rather than picking on the little person who tries to do the right thing. "Not taking lids off bottles" get real!
Spot on, the Covid test taught pretty much everyone to conform to anything they are told to! No one pushes back on anything any more (just complain), so nothing changes
 
So what happens if we all cover these with fast tape/100 mile an hr tape or such?
 
So one person says they had multiple notes stating their recycling was not up to scratch. Shows they cannot learn to do the right thing. If your bin is on the nature strip it is on council property, and they are allowed to monitor. Just like the bottle collectors are not criminals if they recycle. So much to do about nothing. It’s rubbish for Pete’s sake!
 

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