Municipal solid waste departments and private waste management companies are suddenly buying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags by the hundreds of thousands, only to throw them in the garbage — specifically, embedding them in garbage and recycling bins. In Cleveland, RFID is part of a $25-million dollar solid waste modernization program. The tags will link trash and recycling bins to owners, aiding management's efforts to cut costs and increase recycling. At Phoenix-based Republic Services, RFID tags are part of an incentive program designed to boost recycling quantities.