Glitch with Underground Garbage Containers: Cards Randomly Unlock Bins While Passes Fail
Residents in Groningen faced confusion this week as underground garbage containers malfunctioned—some accepting almost any card, others rejecting all, including the official household waste pass.
The issue began when several residents noticed they could unlock underground waste containers using not just their official garbage pass, but nearly any card equipped with an NFC chip. Debit cards, gym memberships, library cards, and even passports were able to open the bins. Stad resident Jan Wieringa discovered the flaw by accident when an expired bank card worked in place of his waste pass.
The widespread access raised concerns, especially since a replacement household waste pass costs nearly €22. It also meant that people from outside the city could potentially use Groningen’s waste facilities for free.
The municipality was unaware of the issue until it was reported by RTV Noord. A spokesperson acknowledged the problem likely stemmed from a recent system update and stated that the supplier was working to resolve it. In an attempt to fix the flaw, a system reset was performed—leading to a new issue: some containers stopped accepting any card, including the waste pass.
A Call for Patience Amid Warm Weather
With the malfunction unresolved by Friday morning, residents were left unable to dispose of waste in the affected containers. Given the rising summer temperatures, the municipality issued an urgent appeal: "Please do not leave bags next to containers. Take your waste home and try again later."
While most of the issues appeared to be fixed by Friday afternoon, the city reminded residents there was no need to report individual malfunctions. Updates would be shared through official municipal channels.