The city of Tacoma, Washington, has embarked on an innovative two-year pilot project. The venture, in collaboration with Prairie Robotics, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, aims to reduce contamination in the city’s residential recycling stream. The project, backed by a $1.8 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Program, seeks to educate Tacoma residents on what is recyclable and what is not in their curbside program.
The pilot will use advanced camera technology to detect non-recyclable items in the residential recycling collection. If contamination is found, residents will receive informative postcards, detailing which items are not suitable for Tacoma’s curbside recycling system.
Tacoma’s Solid Waste Management Division Manager, Lewis Griffith, explains that contamination affects both the delivery and cost of services for all residents. “Educating residents on what is accepted in our curbside program and reducing contamination can lead to improvements in the program for all Tacoma residents,” said Griffith.
Prairie Robotics, a Canadian software development and engineering company, was chosen to support the project. The company’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform is already being utilized by waste providers and municipalities throughout the U.S and Canada, including Waste Connections, GFL, and the cities of Greensboro, North Carolina, and East Lansing, Michigan.
Sam Dietrich, CEO of Prairie Robotics, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Tacoma. He said, “We believe that our platform can help to reduce contamination in recycling across Tacoma. We look forward to working with the city as this pilot evolves to ensure that our services meet the needs of Tacoma residents.”
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