Holland gets grant for AI-equipped recycling trucks
HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — A new project is bringing high-tech cameras to Holland streets to determine whether items in recycling bins are actually recyclable.
Starting in June, high-tech cameras, global positioning systems and computers will be installed on city recycling trucks to check what’s inside recycling bins. Artificial intelligence will scan the contents of a bin as its dumped into the truck.
If the AI recognizes any unacceptable items like plastic bags, polystyrene foam, yard waste or trash, it will be flagged and a personalized postcard or digital notification will be sent to the resident with “information about how they can recycle better,” the city said in a release.
The 12-month pilot project is being funded through a $38,368 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. It’s being launched in partnership with the city of Holland, The Recycling Partnership, and a Candian cleantech startup called Prairie Robotics.
The program is already in place in two other Michigan municipalities, including East Lansing. There, initial results showed inappropriate recycling, called contamination, was reduced by nearly 25% after the grant project was implemented, according to Holland’s release.
“Recycling properly saves taxpayers’ money by reducing costly damage to equipment, as well as the expense of sending contaminated, otherwise recyclable material to the landfill,” said Emily Freeman, an EGLE Materials Management Division recycling specialist, in a release.
To learn more about what is and is not accepted in Holland’s Eco Carts, visit http://www.recycleholland.com.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
