RDCO permanently implementing AI technology to detect recycling contamination – Castanet.net

AI is watching your recycling.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan says it will permanently implement AI-powered technology on recycling trucks to reduce contamination, after a successful pilot project.
The pilot program ran from October 2023 to March 2024. It used truck-mounted smart cameras with AI-based visual recognition and GPS technology to scan for non-recyclables and take photos of contaminants. That information was then used to generate educational postcards mailed directly to residents.
RDCO says the program reduced contamination in recycling carts by 23 per cent and will now be implemented by waste hauler Environmental 360 Solutions Inc.
“This technology is a game-changer for recycling education. It significantly reduces the time and effort required to review and generate contamination reports, ensuring more accurate and efficient communication with residents,” said Cynthia Coates, RDCO solid waste supervisor. “It is also much faster and more efficient than Recycling Ambassadors physically inspecting each cart.”
The district manager for Kelowna E360S says the company will be installing the cameras on all recycling trucks in its fleet, replacing the current system that requires drivers to record contamination manually.
“This new AI system ensures consistent monitoring across the entire region, streamlining staff time and resources. Reducing contamination is part of our contractual obligation with the RDCO and member municipalities and we are pleased to use this state-of-the-art system to help improve contamination across the region,” added Jan Andersen,
Yellow informational postcards will be going out to some homes starting this month.
“The postcards provide personalized feedback to help residents correct their recycling habits,” says Coates, “We aim to increase awareness and understanding of what goes in those carts, what is causing a problem and how to fix it.”
Under an agreement with Recycle BC, RDCO is required to keep contamination rates to five per cent or less. Recent audits of residents’ bins have found consistently higher amounts of banned items.
2024 Data from the pilot program revealed that while 45.9% of Central Okanagan residents recycle correctly and another 35.6% changed their behaviours after receiving one educational postcard, 6.7% of households, labelled as repeat offenders, were responsible for over a third of the contamination.
Saskatchewan-based Prairie Robotics is the company behind the AI smart camera technology. The system has been deployed in more than 30 communities across Canada and the U.S. since 2021.
For more information on what to recycle, download the Recycle Coach app or visit rdco.com/recycle.
Back to Homepage
Must-Read Stories

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts