Making public inspectors out of garbage men, the Seattle City Council has approved a new trash ordinance that authorizes sanitation workers to peruse residents’ waste bins for signs that people are throwing too much food away.

Go over the limit — 10 percent of all your trash — and you could face a whopping $1 fine for each occurrence. The ordinance allows trash collectors to document the offenses as they’re out running their daily routes, according to The Seattle Times:

Under the new rules, collectors can take a cursory look each time they dump trash into a garbage truck. If they see compostable items make up 10 percent or more of the trash, they’ll enter the violation into a computer system their trucks already carry, and will leave a ticket on the garbage bin that says to expect a $1 fine on the next garbage bill.

Another instance of government going the extra mile to help us all. Here’s some more reading on how that’s working out for everyone.

The report quotes the city utilities director, who claims the ordinance isn’t an attempt to raise revenue. Rather, he suggests, it’s intended to encourage people to modify their behavior by negatively reinforcing indiscriminate food disposal.

“The point isn’t to raise revenue,” Seattle Public Utilities director Tim Croll said. “We care more about reminding people to separate their materials.”

There’s always something creepy about people in government, or para-governmental agencies, saying “we” when describing their relationship with the public. It’s a little creepier when they say, “we care.”

If they care enough, they may decide that $1 just isn’t sufficiently punitive to effect the change they’re seeking.

The new law kicks in next July.