'The Netherlands is rolling out intelligent bins that demand ID before accepting rubbish, and let the truck know when they need to be emptied, pointing towards the day when we'll all have to pay for the stuff we throw away.

Altogether 6,000 intelligent bins are being deployed across The Netherlands, and green think tank Environmental Resource Management has calculated that just one of the cities involved (Groningen) saved itself £72,000 in the first year of deployment, and reduced its carbon footprint by 18 per cent, though the council seems more interested in the reduction in thefts of bins and ability of the system to prevent locals knocking up their own.'

Read more: Dutch Unleash Intelligent Robot Bins: No ID, No Rubbish

They must want people to throw their rubbish on the ground then, so that they can issue littering fines.

I just burn stuff.

And if I had to pay to throw a bottle or wrapper when I was out and about, I'd just walk into a McDonalds and put it in their bins. They do ok.

I dont think ronald or the cheeseburgler will notice.

The whole 'bin thing' with the EU really gets on my tits.

I have my own portable bin. It's called a handbag.

Is it such a good idea....

Presumably they will keep a log of who uses it?

'excuse me, can I borrow your ID card, I appear to have lost mine and I need to dispose of this soda can (which is actually an IED).

This may be naive, but...isn't it ever so wasteful to replace a bog-standard, non-eletrical bin with something like this, in terms of 'resources' I mean? Also, won't it cost a feck lot more to maintain in the long-run?

I don't know what it's like where anyone else lives, but in Preston, it's considered 'normal' for people to chuck their rubbish on the pavement. (This gets right on my nerves). Having to produce ID to use the bins is one of the most ridiculous propositions I've heard of.

I nearly had a fight on the bus the other day. I couldn't be bothered driving into town because it's so hard to find a parking space at the weekend, so I jumped on the bus, and took the only seat available, next to a middle-aged bloke.

He proceeded to lean his elbow on me, and cough in my face. Then, he started emptying rubbish out of his jacket pockets, crumpling it up & throwing it over me, on to the bus floor.

I kept picking it up and handing it back to him, telling him he'd dropped it, and he kept saying, "Thank you", then batting it back on the floor whenever he thought I wasn't looking.

Yes I am a busy body, He was a tit though.

Argue with the robotic bins in the street, she would.

Gilly wrote:
I get fed up of constantly being told to 'fuck off' by litter droppers so I no longer bother to ask folk to pick up their rubbish.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've been told that it keeps some c*nt in a job.

hugorune wrote:
I'm like Victor Meldrew. I chase people down the cul-de-sac to give them their crap back that they've stuffed into my privet.

*Thinks - must devise a method of returning people's phlegm to them when they spit on the pavement.*

rub their nose in it

batou wrote:
That's a fine idea, Bats. I'd genuinely love to do it - only the likelihood of ending up behind bars prohibits me.

That's a mighty fine avi you have there, Mr Rune.

Ab Origine wrote:
I'm going to have to change it. He's far too hunky (& funky) and I'm worried that if I see the image too often I might end up batting for the away XI.

hugorune wrote:
I really don't see what the problem is here?