- City of Centerville, Ohio, deployed AI-powered garbage trucks to scan residents' trash for recycling errors
- Improperly recycled items trigger personalised postcards advising residents on correct disposal
- Project cost is Rs 64 lakh ($74,945), funded by Montgomery County Solid Waste District grant
A city in the US state of Ohio has deployed artificial intelligence-powered (AI) garbage trucks that scan the trash thrown away by the residents to ensure they aren't tossing food waste and batteries into the wrong bins. The Public Works Department in the city of Centerville rolled out the fleet of garbage trucks earlier this week, hoping to make the recycling process easier.
After scanning the garbage, the improperly recycled trash items will be sent back to residents in a personal-sized postcard, telling them what they should leave out of their recycling cans next time around -- whether it be plastic bags, styrofoam, or used paper towels.
"Reducing contamination in our recycling system lowers processing costs and improves the overall efficiency of our collection," said City Manager Wayne Davis, according to a report in the Dayton Daily News.
"This technology allows us to target problem areas, educate residents, and make better use of city resources."
The City of Centerville's website claims it serves approximately 6,500 customers, collecting roughly 8,000 tons of waste and 1,400 tons of recyclables every year. The Rs 64 lakh ($74,945) project is being funded through a Montgomery County Solid Waste District grant.
“A couple of the trucks have been collecting baseline recycling data, and we have been working through software training for a few weeks now,” said Centerville spokeswoman Kate Bostdorff.
The project will be evaluated to see how well the AI system works during the pilot project to “guide future programme enhancements".
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Social media reacts
Reacting to the news of AI garbage trucks, social media users were mostly concerned about whether the exercise would be efficient in the long term for the environment.
"When will we get the AI that scolds billionaires when they use private jets and mega yachts for fun," said one user, while another added: "Can we get "ai" to continually scold the 100 companies that cause 80% of global warming and pollution? Particularly the ones who invented greenwashing schemes like recycling?"
A third commented: "Then they best prove they're actually recycling this stuff. My understanding is most of it ends up in a landfill anyways."
A fourth said: "So they're gonna use the most ecologically disastrous technology to tell me I'm not helping the environment enough?"
