Dumfries and Galloway Council could microchip new wheelie bins

New bins could be microchipped at a cost of about £300,000

A council is considering fitting microchips to 150,000 wheelie bins being bought for its new waste collection service.

They would allow each bin to be registered to a property and, when lifted and scanned, the weight and material type could be recorded.

A report said it would give the Dumfries and Galloway authority better recycling rate information.

The council has yet to decide if the £300,000 cost outweighs the benefits.

The microchip idea is being considered as part of wider plans for waste collection in the region costing more than £23m.

A previous system was piloted in part of Dumfries and Galloway but never rolled out.

That left the local authority with tens of thousands of containers which were surplus to requirements.

Now a report is seeking agreement in principle to have new recycling wheelie bins chipped.

The council said the move was necessary to meet legal requirements

The technology has been used by other local authorities with "limited success", according to the paper for councillors.

However, it said the fact that the council was also buying new vehicles for waste collection meant it would not need to retrofit scanners as had happened in other areas.

It is hoped the new system could be piloted in Wigtownshire - where the previous one was also tested - later this year.

It would then be extended to the rest of the region in spring 2021.