Not silly at all. Robots are already being used in warfare re drones etc. Using them for rubbish-collection isn't unlikely at all and relatively simple to manage.
To quote a person I have read.....rubbish!
There is a certain amount of cost involved in any robot device. Robot aircraft have been around for a long time because the market is so large and thus the costs can be justified. They are used for locating minerals etc in remote areas, doing flying that is dangerous and flying into dangerous military zones to take out enemies or observe them because basically it is suicide to do it any other way.
Rubbish collection on the other hand has been automated to a certain degree but it is still labour intensive as someone must drive the truck, unless you want to get into very expensive non-driver vehicles with their attendant safety issues. Yes I know there are automatically driven vehicles out there, but I doubt they will obtain other driver acceptance for quite awhile.
My point is that aside from books which can make up any scenario they want because it is free to give full rein to your imagination, all these devices require money to develop and maintain. Anything is possible, but 'likely', is another quantum leap
