ALMOST 300 Bournemouth residents had their rubbish analysed this year without their knowledge, it has been confirmed.

The Daily Echo revealed yesterday that “bin police” were weighing and sifting rubbish in Poole.

And it has now emerged that Bournemouth council has carried out similar surveys in August 2008 and January 2009 – although they were done in a more discreet fashion.

In each survey, the waste of just under 300 properties was analysed.

When their bins were put out on collection day, the contents were emptied into sacks and put onto a lorry for off-site analysis.

The waste was combined and no data was recorded against individual addresses.

The survey prompted three enquiries from residents.

Roger Ball, the council’s head of technical services, said the exercises were a useful way of researching what people were throwing away so they could shape council policy accordingly.

“Analyses are carried out periodically to help inform future waste strategy,” he said.

“The decision was taken not to inform residents because no recording was done of specific bin content and we wanted to avoid the temptation of people changing their waste behaviour.”

The findings will help shape future campaigns.

He said: “For example, food waste was shown to be a huge contributor to people’s overall waste and that is why Bournemouth council is launching the Love Food Hate Waste campaign next week to reduce the amount of food thrown away unnecessarily.”

Readers at bournemouth echo.co.uk raced to condemn Poole council for going through people’s bins.

Poolebabe said: “Identity theft is on the up and if it becomes common place to have bins sifted through by authorities, the identity thieves won’t be questioned.”

“Also, how else is the information being used?”

Cantique, from Bournemouth, said: “I’m sure the money this exercise costs could be better spent elsewhere.”

John T, from Poole, said it was ironic the news on bin policing by Poole’s Conservative council had broken the day the Tory party revealed plans to reverse the rise of the surveillance state.

But some readers were pleased with the approach.

Bournemouthmike said: “How else will they know what percentage of us are muppets putting recyclables in the normal waste?”

• Borough of Poole asked the Echo to clarify that while residents’ rubbish was weighed, examined and removed, it was not photographed.