The city says the goal is to educate people on what can be recycled, and what cannot.<\/p>\n
TACOMA, Wash. \u2014 The City of Tacoma has launched a pilot program using AI-equipped smart cameras on recycling trucks to reduce contamination in curbside bins.<\/p>\n
The city says the goal is to educate people on what can be recycled, and what cannot.<\/p>\n
As of Aug. 4, one recycling truck is equipped with the cameras. By the end of the year, the city hopes to have seven trucks using the technology.<\/p>\n
The cameras, mounted on recycling trucks, photograph the serial number on a bin before it is emptied. If a contaminant is detected after the contents are dumped into the truck, the system takes a photo of the material.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can see in real time what materials are actually being dumped into the truck,\u201d said Preston Peck, a senior sustainability analyst with Tacoma Environmental Services.<\/p>\n
Within three to five business days, homeowners receive a postcard showing the photo and explaining the recycling error.<\/p>\n
City data shows 22% of items placed into Tacoma recycling bins should not be there.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of confusion out there in the world with what’s accepted in recycling and what’s not,\u201d Peck said.<\/p>\n
The two-year pilot program runs through May 2027 and is funded by a $1.8 million federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project in particular, right now, we’re just focusing on plastic bags and bag recyclables,\u201d said Peck. Plastic bags are one of the top contaminants in the city\u2019s recycling stream. The program will expand to other materials later.<\/p>\n