Ealing Council in London is set to use secret CCTV cameras hidden in baked beans tins and inside house bricks to catch residents putting rubbish out on the wrong day.
Householders caught breaking strict new rubbish rules will be fined up to £1,000.
It follows a £2million scheme adopted by six councils to put the devices in wheelie bins.
A spokesman for Tory-controlled Ealing said the £200 movement-sensitive bugs would become a ‘vital tool’ in catching wheelie bin mis-users and graffiti artists.
He said: "To catch vandals and enviro-criminals, cameras disguised as anything from tin cans to house bricks will instantly email images to the council’s CCTV control centre."
He added that people who put their rubbish out at all times of the day and night will be targeted.
The Ealing Tory councillor responsible for environment Will Brooks said anyone who broke the laws would be considered a fly-tipper.
But local resident Danny Christie, 64, branded the scheme as "utterly insane".
He said: "I’ve lived here all my life and have never heard of anything so screwed-up. Since when did forgetting to put your rubbish out make you a criminal?"
Via Ananova
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