Tacoma officials will use artificial intelligence-powered cameras in the new pilot program to identify contaminated items under the city's curb recycling program and educate residents about what they cannot be recycled.
The two-year program is funded with a $1.8 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Recycling Education and Outreach Grants Program. This is part of the city's efforts to reduce pollution in Tacoma's home recycling. The camera is trained to identify certain plastic bag-like items that cannot be recycled, but that over time they learn to identify new contaminants.
Preston Peck, the city's sustainability analyst, said when the camera identifies an item contaminated with recycle bins, residents at that location will receive a postcard educating them about the items that were misplaced. The postcard contains images of contaminated material.
“some [postcards] It should be more common if you can't confirm that a particular recycle bin is associated with a particular customer during the review process,” Peck told the Newstribune in an email.
The technology comes from Prairie Robotics, a Canadian company that has implemented such technology “all North America,” according to its website. Peck said the camera will focus on documenting items collected in trucks rather than people or private property. The data is stored “safely and securely” in the United States and will not be sold or shared with third parties, he said.
“Images that inadvertently include faces or license plates will automatically blur before images are uploaded to protect privacy,” Peck said. “Residents will only see items identified as contamination in postcard recycle bins, and everything else will be blurred.”
Peck said that only one truck is using the camera at the moment, covering the city's recycled pickup routes. The program will be rolled out in stages over the next year on seven recycle trucks and will continue until the grants increase by around June 2027.
