Some folks may be surprised to find out that their garbage is under surveillance.
Now, it is not some government agency keeping a watchful eye on what exactly you throw away. Rather, it is the average garbage truck driver who can see everything that comes out of the trash bins they collect each week.
A garbage truck driver shared that his truck is equipped with a special camera that captures what’s in people’s garbage cans.
In the video posted to TikTok by Melbourne-based garbage truck driver @dylthegarbo, he says drivers like himself are “always watching.”
“Did you know we see everything you put in your bins?” the otherwise-silent video voiceover asks viewers. The screen in the truck’s cabin features a live feed from a camera with a view of what is coming out of the trash bins as they are being dumped.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @dylthegarbo via TikTok direct message regarding the video.
@dylthegarbo We are always watching 👀 #garbagedisposal #bin #binday #rubbish ♬ son original – 𝗗𝗜𝗫𝗢 𝗕𝗢𝗫𝗜𝗡𝗚 ⚡️
Previously, an American garbage truck driver has shared a similar warning for viewers on TikTok, writing that he and his crew can “forget a lot” for $20 if a customer has thrown away something that they are not supposed to. Such items that don’t belong in a regular trash can are cans of paint or large items that qualify for a different kind of pickup.
TikToker @dylthegarbo’s video was viewed 3.7 million times. Viewers commented on it to clear their names with their local garbage man.
“My husbands the Cooper’s drinker not me i swear,” one commenter wrote.
“So they know I’m a kfc fiend,” another said.
Others were more overt about the items they threw in the trash knowing they were not supposed to go there, like car batteries, pieces of mattresses, or even fencing.
“I was so broke years ago I couldn’t afford to dispose of a mattress so I cut it up in my flat and put 4 inches in the bin each week,” one commenter wrote. “the springs were tough to cut.”
“Did you see my whole gear box I put in the bin,” another said.
Some residents have expressed concerns about having the contents of their trash recorded and monitored by their municipality or trash collection agency. These concerns have centered around privacy. Some companies have used such technology to keep track of who is putting their bins out for collection in the first place.
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