Who's snooping in your bins?
WORRIED Swansea residents say the Assembly has been snooping through their rubbish.
They are concerned after they spotted staff from a Government-backed company tagging their bin bags and taking them away for analysis.
Residents in Townhill were alarmed when they saw their rubbish being examined and are concerned that personal information they would expect to be heading straight to landfill or recycling could be pawed over by officials.
There are also doubts over the legality of non-council staff taking away household rubbish.
The Assembly says Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), a Government-backed, not for profit company, has been carrying out the work on behalf of itself and Swansea Council.
One resident of Dyfed Avenue in Townhill, who did not want to be identified, said he was surprised to see men in fluorescent jackets writing details on a clipboard and tagging waste bags before taking them away last Wednesday.
"Everything was put into individual hessian bags and they were writing down the house numbers on a board," he said.
He said he was so alarmed by the workers actions that he queried what they were doing.
"I said to them about people going through your rubbish and finding out your details," the resident said.
"They said they were checking to see how much rubbish is recycled in the area and what is not."
He said the incident raised concerns about confidential information which may have been binned by unsuspecting householders.
"I shred 90 per cent of my stuff, but the odd thing might get through or my son or daughter might put something in the bin," he said. "These people now know what comes to my house, they can tell where I have been shopping and what food I have been eating."
The resident added he also thought they should have been given advance warning about the initiative.
"They should have knocked on the door and said we are doing a survey and we should have been able to say yes or no."
When asked about the incident a spokesman for the Assembly confirmed they had funded Wrap to carry out the work on behalf of local authorities.
A spokesman for Wrap Cymru said they were concerned to hear that householders weren't aware of the research.
"Letters were hand delivered by Swansea Council in mid-November," he said.
"These explained what was going to happen and offered people the chance to opt out."
9 Comments
by James Sheridan, Swansea
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 11:36PM
“Re:Arthur, Portmead, SWANSEA
Leaflet, Arthur!? Please read the article again! It says in the next to last line of the article;
"Letters were hand delivered by Swansea Council in mid-November," please note the word 'Letters'! However, I can repeat that I didn't receive any communication from Swansea Council and clearly neither did at least two Dyfed Avenue residents!
With regards to personal information in the rubbish, it is not always possible to remember to shred every single item, plus many residents are elderly, so how can you expect them to shred all their information and you seem a tad flipant in that you appear to consider that it is ok for Tom, Dick and Harry (and no doubt a few of their mates as well) to rummage through our rubbish! Is nothing sacred in your book, Arthur!? Or are you quite happy to be trampled on!?”
by Achmeds, Uncle
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 9:19PM
“What if something was put in a bin bag and placed outside your house, Perish the thought of having a no-frills packet instead of my usual blue striped packets seen in a bin outside my house.
The shame the shame of it all.”
by Paul, West Cross
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 9:07PM
“This week, Swansea.
Last week, Neath: "Council's waste snoops" Friday, December 04, 2009, 09:58.
Next week? Recycled news?”
by Anne, Aberavon
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 8:44PM
“Never mind snooping in peoples bin why dont they get the streets cleaned up from all the dog mess that the lazy owners cant be bothered to pick up.”
by Arthur, Portmead, SWANSEA
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 8:43PM
“Are you quite sure you did not get any leaflet through the door.
How many times have you seen flyers come through the letter box and shove it straight into the recylcling bin.
Also so what if someone wants to check your refuse, If people are still putting personal information into bin bags without first shredding it, or at least scrub out your details. It doesn't take a long time.
And as for the big brother oooh [the politicians are out to get us] what a load of claptrap.”
by rob, morriston
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 6:41PM
“the simple answer is for everybody to recycle more and and only put rubbish in your bag if you have nothing to hide you will have nothing to worry about after all it is only refuse that we do not want anyway”
by James Sheridan, Swansea
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 5:48PM
“I live in an ajoining street to Dyfed Avenue and I certainly got no communication in November (or at any other time this year) that WRAP Cymru were going to give residents rubbish a 'visit'! Then again, this is another example of Swansea Council saying that they have 'Communicated a decision', just like when they said they informed Vodaphone about the Area Planning Committee's decision of the erection of the Dyfed Avenue Communications mast, when they said they didn't receive it! Or is actually delivering a Communication to residents and businesses, too difficult for a job for Swansea Council to do!?
Why didn't WRAP Cymru and Swansea Council, communicate to residents by other ways, such as via the Evening Post!? As WRAP and the government are quite happy to ram down our throats the importance of Recycling, perhaps we should remind them of the 'missing' 4th 'R' of Recycling, 'Reasons', which is quite apt in the context of the above article!
Of course residents are going to be alarmed that their rubbish is going to be analysed by some Government funded Agency! This just goes to show we still cannot trust local or our National governments to be fair and reasonable with us, the Public! How many more errors of communication should we expect in the not to distant future!?”
by victor penaluna, sa1 6ne
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 1:53PM
“we had no communication from any one relating to checks being made, the only letters recently received at this household in Dyfed avenue were a letter re water turn off and a Liberal party broadsheet.”
by carl, swansea
Wednesday, December 09 2009, 12:23PM
“The answer here is do not put anything that could give private details in your rubbish bags....”