An AI-powered trash surveillance system rigged to garbage trucks reduced recycling contamination levels by 23 per cent, regional officials say.听
The pilot project was so successful that it is being made permanent, with the system now added to all garbage trucks in the Central Okanagan. 鈥淭his technology is a game-changer for recycling education,鈥 says Cynthia Coates, the regional district garbage supervisor.听
鈥淚t significantly reduces the time and effort required to review and generate contamination reports, ensuring more accurate and efficient communication with residents,鈥 Coates says.听
The AI-system can identify non-recyclable items that have been put into the blue recycling bins. Cameras take a picture of the offending item, which is then mailed to the homeowner along with a note telling them to clean up their act or face the possible loss of curbside pick-up service.听
During the pilot project, 35 per cent of people who got such a note changed their behaviours, Coates says. A hardcore minority of recycling scofflaws, account to less than seven per cent of households, were responsible for more than one-third of the contamination.听
The AI technology, made by Saskatchewan-based Prairie Robotics, is used in more than 30 communities across Canada and the U.S.听
Items commonly but mistakenly put in the blue recycling carts are glass, books, styrofoam, scrap metal, clothes, toys, and electronic appliances. Starting this month, anyone who puts such banned items in the cart will receive a warning note from the regional district.听
Before installation of the AI surveillance systems, truck operators had to watch a live feed from an onboard camera and try to see if any banned items were being dumped into the vehicle from the blue recycling carts.听
