In the Bavarian district of Deggendorf, the Donau-Wald waste management administration union (ZAW) have introduced an ‘‘electronic sheriff‘‘ to reduce the amount of contaminants that find their way into the organic waste bin.

Passauer Neue Presse reports that using a detector that is attached to the refuse collection vehicle, it can be ascertained whether or not the bin only contains organic waste. The measuring device is able to detect whether stray materials such as metal bottle tops are present. As part of the pilot scheme, householders will be issued with green and yellow cards: the green card means that the contents of the bin are fine, while the yellow card denotes that there are materials in the bin that do not belong. From November, red cards will be issued to householders who persistently throw away non-organic waste in the green bin. In this case, the bin will not be emptied and the offender will have to find alternative means of disposal.

The pilot scheme is currently running in Deggendorf and the town of Passau. For years the ZAW has been reporting an increase in the amount of contaminants in the organic waste bin, from 1.65% in 1997 to 3.85% between January and May of this year. According to Karl-Heinz Kellermann, director of ZAW, the costs of dealing with contaminated organic waste last year were in the region of EUR150,000. If the new technology proves to be effective, then customers will benefit from the savings in the long run.

The ‘‘electronic sheriff‘‘ costs EUR40,000 and has already been successfully employed in other regions. Once the test phase comes to an end, the ZAW will need to decide whether or not to adopt it permanently