In an effort to encourage more and better recycling habits while reducing the amount of contaminated materials deposited in recycling carts, the City of Olympia is launching a contamination reduction project.
The project will rely on cameras, computers and global positioning systems on city recycling trucks to examine the contents of curbside recycling carts, and then provide residents feedback as needed.
Thousands of selected households will receive an initial postcard in the mail about the project, the City of Olympia said in announcing the project, with reminders of accepted materials and top contaminates prior to the launch.
“I believe our customers are committed to recycling but may need some clarification on what can and can’t be recycled,” said Kim Johnson, who is the Residential Educator for the City of Olympia Public Works Department, in a statement that accompanied the announcement.
“Customers may have questions regarding why something isn’t accepted, and I’m happy to help.”
The City of Olympia is partnering with the Washington State Department of Ecology, nonprofit The Recycling Partnership of Washington, D.C., and Prairie Robotics of Saskatchewan, Canada, on the project.
“We are excited to support innovative approaches to improving Washington's recycling system,” said Dan Weston, Statewide Recycling Coordinator with the Department of Ecology, in a statement that accompanied the announcement.
“We hope this technology proves effective and provides local recycling programs across the state with a valuable tool for reducing contamination.”
The project is a version of The Recycling Partnership’s “Feet on the Street" cart tagging program, the City of Olympia said. The program aims to improve the quality of recycling in curbside recycling carts by providing residents with personalized and real-time curbside recycling education and feedback.
Prairie Robotics will retrofit the city’s recycling collection trucks with camera technology, which will scan material as it is dumped from each recycling cart into a truck.
Unacceptable items, such as plastic bags, polystyrene foam, yard waste and trash, will be flagged in real-time. That information will then be passed along to residents via a postcard of digital notification with information on how people can improve recycling efforts.
Parts of Clallam County, including Sequim, as well as the City of Renton were chosen along with the City of Olympia to implement the projects this year. The Department of Ecology is funding the projects.
15 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
BillString
Now our garbage is being monitored? But the HOMELESS are left to themselves? What a joke.
Monday, May 5 Report this
TheVirtualOne
This is absolutely ridiculous. Next thing to come will be tickets and fines. Enter the garage nazis.
Monday, May 5 Report this
Carolyn Byerly
While I generally applaud this -- too much is "recycled" that belongs in the garbage, and people really do need some education -- this seems like a very expensive way to go about it. What is never talked about in environmental circles is reducing waste altogether, and a major way of doing this would be to eliminate much of the packaging that food and other commodities come in.
Monday, May 5 Report this
Snevets
Thank you Carolyn, my thoughts exactly.
Our kids in Oregon are supposed to be fined if something is in the bin that shouldn't be but usually the driver will just toss the item back in the bin.
Monday, May 5 Report this
Scott_Tompkins
The City of Olympia means well, but what are the cost and desired outcomes of this new program?
Olympia already makes it abundantly clear on its website what to do with items that can be recycled and those that cannot. I do my best to recycle and minimize waste, and it takes very little effort to figure out what to do with these materials.
If this program provides feedback to residents, what will they do with this information? If residents care about recycling, they’ll probably fine tune their recycling practices.
But if they don’t care, all the feedback in the world won’t make them change their recycling practices; they’ll keep ignoring the rules until what happens? Will Olympia terminate their recycling services?
If so, they’ll just throw items that could have been recycled right into the trash.
This program is well intentioned but strikes me as a solution in search of a problem, especially when the city is in a budget deficit.
Monday, May 5 Report this
JulesJames
Worthy goal. But the only education that works in recycling contamination is physical rejection. People will recycle styrofoam and plastic because advertising says it’s recyclable.
Monday, May 5 Report this
PhyllisBooth
We need curbside glass and metal recyclying. We used to have metal pickup at least once a year too. This program described is another example of excessive monitoring. Let's focus on what is really needed so we do not have thousands of cars taking recycling to sites for glass and metal when city trucks could do the pickup.
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
HeikeSypeck
I do understand that we need to find a solution and I know that I am a part of the problem, simply because I constantly come across items that leave me wondering if this is recyclable or not (and yes, I look at the symbols and the numbers...). The hundreds of different plastics is what throws me! And the question: why, in the name of Mike, does the consumer have to struggle through this and why is the industry that creates all that garbage not upheld to stricter regulations? Why is it allowed that every possible snack needs to come INDIVIDUELLY wrapped and why must it be sealed in layers of plastic that can withstand the strongest scissors? Whoever came up with the idea after this planet is already since DECADES drowning in its own trash "YES, WE REALLY NEED SINGLE SERVING HUMMUS PACKAGES!!" and "LETS PUT THIS THIMBLE IN A BOX THAT WOULD FIT 12-SET-COOKING PANS AND STUFF PLASTIC PILLOWS AROUND IT". As others have stated before me, it's time to hold the industry responsible and demand they should not be allowed to create unnecessary garbage, as well as common sense to be used for packaging and shipping.
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
ddttwo2
The department of Ecology needs to reel in their authority.
Monitoring my Garbage?? There are more important things to do than looking at my waste!!
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
TheGreatAnon
OH HELL NO !!!!!
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
TheGreatAnon
Also too Prairie Robotics is a private, for profit company who on their web site says a bunch of stuff about protecting data and whatnot but we all know how that goes. Any company worth its salt would not pass on monetizing the data it collects.
One way to protest this crap it to top off your recycle bin with a sheet of cardboard. Any swear words one might add would be icing on the cake
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
Pkt3154
Relax folks, this comes down to the contracts with the actual recyclers who will charge more if there is too much contamination in the bulk collected. Ultimately, this could come down to fines or increased rates if there is no improvement. They will be passing on the increasing cost of contracts with recycling firms. Worst case, the ultimate recycling destination may reject further shipments. That will mean finding more expensive firms- if those even exist or just treating it all like garbage.
So it is important to learn what can/can't be recycled. This gives city a way to target education instead of just sending out generic notices that are expensive to send out and go unread by the problem folks. I know there are a lot of things I wish could be recycled, but there is no market for them.
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
swvoltz
I'm pretty blown away by all these negative comments. Garage Nazis? Give me a break. In the old days, when you put the wrong item in the can, the city would leave a little standardized note. This is the same concept but automated somewhat to reduce time spent by the driver. Lots of folks don't bother to look up what can and cannot go into the recycle bin, and the trash and organics bin. We need to get smarter. This is a way to get feedback to the consumer and to streamline our city services. Yes, reduce packaging. Yes, standardize plastic containers. Yes, restart glass recycling. And Yes, send a little note telling that neighbor to stop putting plastic bags and styrofoam in the freaking recycle bin!
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
Callie
We had a care-giver who believed she was providing a job for someone else when she was sloppy about recycling - we made it clear it was part of the job to get it right.
New York City can fine you $200 if the first-offense plus education doesn't work. And they do. Check it out.
Tuesday, May 6 Report this
hptrillium
There is also Ridwell that will recycle much more than the city will. Also plastic packaging should be reduced by the manufacturers.
Wednesday, May 7 Report this