FRESH

Hacker News

AI-Enabled Trash Trucks Will Scan Your Trash to Scold You About Recycling

6 points by speckx

by davely

0 subcomment

I don’t know if it’s AI, but where I live in the Bay Area, Waste Management spies on the contents of our recycling bins with cameras when the truck picks them up.
I have gotten warning emails with evidence of some transgression or another about 4 times since November 2024. All it says is “we found that at least one of your carts was filled incorrectly.”
Cool!
The best thing is the evidence they provide. It’s a blurry and pixelated 320 x 320 image that shows what could literally be anything.

by taosx

1 subcomments

I was thinking about buying an incinerator, I recycle my trash but recently found that everything gets mixed back together in the end by the privatized trash company and no recycling happens.

by jmchuster

2 subcomments

Other countries have just been doing this by hand. For example, in Japan, they will open up bags of trash from the dumpster, find your address from a discarded envelope, sort out what you should have recycled, then bag it and leave it at your door, with a stern warning and instructions on how to properly sort your trash next time.

by rapjr9

0 subcomment

Wouldn't it be better to use AI to sort out the recyclables instead of scolding people?

by dmvjs

0 subcomment

they had better be able to prove they actually recycle if they are engaging in conversation in this manner