City of Regina making high-tech change to recycling program

The City of Regina is going high tech to lower recycling mistakes.

Starting this week, new automated technology will be used to check the contents of blue recycling carts in Regina. Previously, city employees physically inspected the carts to see if residents were recycling properly via the CartSmart Program.

According to a media release from the city, a camera on a recycling truck will take a photo of the contents of a home’s blue cart as it’s being emptied. Software then will track the items that don’t belong in the recycling cart.

“If an unacceptable item is spotted, an ‘Oops’ mailout will be delivered to the household regarding the incorrect item(s) with helpful tips,” the release said.

“This new technology will allow the city to educate more residents — increasing the number of blue carts checked from 2,000 in 2020 to 10,000 in 2021.”

The technology, developed by the Regina-based company Prairie Robotics, will be used until the end of October.

“The city is focused on increasing the amount of waste we divert from the landfill through public education,” Kim Onrait, Regina’s executive director of citizen services, said in a release.

“When the wrong items are placed in the recycling cart, they can injure workers at the recycling facility, lower the quality of good recyclables and damage sorting equipment.”

More information on blue carts and what can be recycled is available here.