Hundreds of residents in Dublin have begun receiving low-quality images of their household waste from Panda, their waste collection service, pointing out rubbish that could have been recycled.
Reactions on social media have been mixed, with some Panda customers supporting the efforts to recycle as much plastic waste as possible, and others saying the system breaches their privacy.
Rachel Senior (40), who lives in Stepaside, Dublin 18, received two emails with photos from Panda saying they had identified “contaminants” in her black general rubbish bin. “You get an unclear picture of your waste bin and it feels a bit invasive”, said Ms Senior. From the low-quality image, she found it difficult to see exactly which waste the company was talking about.
She says she engaged in a “frustrating” exchange with Panda customer support, which instructed her to “recycle everything”, despite her concern about recycling dirty plastics and packaging that has fused with non-recyclable waste. “I accept that they’re trying to get people to recycle but it’s not a practical way to do it.”
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Ms Senior also noticed that some product labels contradict Panda’s recycling rules: “How do we know? It’s not feasible to check the [mywaste.ie] website every time we’re throwing something out. [Manufacturer’s] instructions should coincide with the rules in Ireland”, she said.
However, the emails have meant she has begun looking at the packaging a bit more carefully.
In response, Conor Walsh, secretary of the Irish Waste Management Association, explained this is a result of products packaged in the UK, where soft plastic is not recycled. In Ireland, however, he said: “You don’t need to read the labels. Our machines will sort out what is recyclable and what is not recyclable.”
He said all recycling is handled under EU law and any non-recyclable rubbish found in those bins will be used as solid fuel for cement kilns, instead of coal.
Panda said its Cleaner Bin Imaging System has been rolled out to 52,000 customers in Dublin since May and that it plans to implement it across the country. The trials resulted in 50 per cent less rubbish being incorrectly disposed of.
[ Buy, eat, bin, repeat - we are locked in a never-ending flow of wasteOpens in new window ]
It says it does not intend to fine customers for incorrectly binning waste and that customers will save money by recycling more, due to the higher cost of general waste collection. Furthermore, Panda says the photos do not contravene GDPR as personal details are not discernible in the low-res photographs.
Some customers raised concerns about being blamed for rubbish that was dumped by passersby, to which Panda responded that this is a positive development for the customer, in that “it gives them the opportunity to stop other people using their bin”.
Regarding the lack of an opt-out, Panda said the initiative is “a core part of our service offering” and could only offer an opt-out due to “specific extenuating circumstances”, reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Mr Walsh said the scheme is a signifier that Ireland’s privatised waste collection system is “far more advanced” than public systems that use public shaming to encourage people to recycle.
He said this scheme is “much kinder” and “shouldn’t be seen as anything more than feedback, nobody’s giving out”.
