Written question asked by Caroline Spelman (Conservative) on Thursday, 7 June 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 June 2007. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Thursday, 21 June 2007 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Waste Disposal: Microprocessors

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action programme has issued on the use of microchips or radio frequency identity tags in domestic rubbish or recycling bins.

Answer: No specific guidance on the use of microchips or radio frequency identity tags has been issued by either my Department or the Waste and Resources Action programme.Microchips installed on wheelie bins are identification tags which allow a bin to be matched to a particular property—they do not record information on what is put into the bin. It is up to local authorities to decide whether to install the chips. Authorities that have installed microchips have used them to identify lost bins or, when used with weighing trucks, to monitor levels of waste created in different neighbourhoods and target information and education accordingly.

Secondary information