Waste management firm Biffa has provided its 1,500 binmen with RIM's Blackberrie smartphones to allow then to download maps, gather customer data and keep in touch with head office.

Biffa said BlackBerries could be used to capture photos whenever households overfill their bins or put general refuse in the bin meant for recyclable refuse.

Speaking on the topic, Vicky Panayiotou from Biffa said, "If there are any defects or a health and safety problem, they might take pictures."

In addition, smartphones would prevent garbage trucks from taking a detour.

The development is a part of Biffa's £1.75 million deal with Vodafone. Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone will supply Biffa as many as 3,100 devices, including BlackBerrys, dongles plus 3G data cards and will it with mobile communication services.

Biffa said Vodafone's communication services would enhance its workforce productivity and improve its services to customers.