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Thursday, May 20, 2010
News Charlotte, come get your computer-chipped bin
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Thu, May 20, 2010 at 2:36 PM
When North Charlotte resident Odell Hall heard from the media that the new green recycling bin in his backyard had a computer chip in it, he wasn’t happy.
In fact, he was downright angry. Especially after speaking with an operator from 311, the city’s information line.
“At first, I thought it was a lie. Then I called 311 and they confirmed it. That’s crazy. Why do you have to monitor what I’m recycling?” Hall said. “I know what to recycle and what not to. How long have we been recycling in Mecklenburg County? They had those red bins for close to 20 years. I know what to recycle and what not too. This is all a part of Big Brother watching you.”
Hall said that 311 operator expressed disbelief when he said the city could come and pick up the new bin because of the computer chip.
“I believe that computer chip is doing more than monitoring recycling,” he said. “It could probably pick up conversations in your yard, monitor what you have in your house. I don’t trust them. We don’t have any money for schools, but we have money for computer chip trash cans?”
By Friday, Hall said his bin, which he thinks shows that the city has money to save services that are headed for the chopping block, will be gone. The former big recycler said that he’s going to stop recycling now.
“I’m going to stop giving Mecklenburg County free money. They aren’t recycling just to do it, it’s money behind it,” he said.
Hall has tried to rally his neighbors near NoDa to remove their bins as well.
“They don’t believe it,” he said, with an exasperated sigh. “They don’t care.”
Hall said he knows why the city tried to keep it quiet about the computer chips in the recycling bins.
“They didn’t want people to reject that and they’d already spent their money on it and they couldn’t get their money back. Charlotte, N.C. and Mecklenburg County if you want to waste money, bring it here,” he said.
Speaking of News, spy Chip
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