Here's a great use of our tax dollars

Evidently, a $500,000 grant has been given to the city of Dayton, Ohio, population 166,000, for the purpose of tracking whether residents are actually using their recycling bins.  If the bin doesn't make it to the curb, then trash supervisors will go through your garbage to make sure you're recycling.

Never mind the little issue of how much time, effort, and yes, energy it takes to send someone out to your house to quantify what percentage of your garbage you recycle, as well as the fact that recycling isn't necessarily more efficient than throwing your bottles and cans in the garbage.  It demonstrates, once again, my (environmentalist) brother's dictum; "environmentalist" too often means "person who cannot do math."

(my brother is environmentalist to the point of cancelling trips to visit family because of the carbon footprint...yes, I'm encouraging him to send Gore a note so Gore can cut down his travel so we can see my brother and his family more often)

Finally, an engineering hint; if you have a "microchipped" recycle bin, simply cover the microchipped area (top and bottom) with aluminium foil, glued down securely and painted with spray paint of the color of your recycling bin.  Watch with delight as the city sends its highly paid administrators out to your house once a month to find....nothing!