A pilot scheme to use cameras to monitor the contents of green bins is to be rolled out to 12,000 Panda Waste customers in Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown.

The move is a response by Panda Waste Management to what it says is a level of 40% contamination of recycling waste.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Des Crinion of Panda Waste said the contamination of green bin waste is a major problem and the company is also considering fines. 

"It's unbelievable what comes in in the bins.

"It's supposed to be material that we can sort out and use as raw material to go back into the manufacturing process, but we see everything from nappies, which is number one, food waste, which is huge, and also textiles."

Mr Crinion explained that the camera will be on the back of the refuse truck and as each green bin is tipped out a high-speed camera will take hi-definition photos of the material being emptied.

He said that the rubbish is linked to each individual bin by a microchip and also by Global Positioning System tracking on the trucks.

This enables the company to approach the person who has discarded the contaminated waste and ask them to stop this practise and if they do not stop they may be fined.

Dublin City Independent Councillor Cieran Perry, who was involved in the anti-bin charges campaign, said the issue highlights the problem that was foreseen with people trying to avoid paying waste charges.

He says the argument is still the same in that he believes a public service like waste management should be paid for from general taxation.

Mr Perry said there is only a small number of people who are contaminating green bin waste and he does not accept that 40% of people are doing this.

He said he believes many people are ignorant of what can be recycled and what cannot and most contamination is not deliberate.

Mr Crinion said that his company hopes the use of cameras will help to determine who is contaminating waste deliberately or out of ignorance.

Anyone caught contaminating the green bin waste will be given "one chance", according to Mr Crinion, and after that they will be charged the green bin as a black bin if the issue persists.

He said the company is confident it will be able to match the offending waste to the household by identifying the bin.