AI-powered rubbish trucks scan for waste in the wrong bin

Throwing out your rubbish in Germany can feel overwhelming. It's not rocket science, most Germans will tell you. But it's not far off, confused foreigners will answer.

There are bins for paper, dark glass, clear glass, different types of recyclables, compost - and of course just plain old waste that can't be recycled. Many apartment complexes have seven or more kinds of bins to choose from.

Some items, like nappies, batteries and plastic bags clearly don't belong in the compost bin, which is reserved for organic waste. But those dealing with waste disposal complain that they often do end up there.

To tackle this issue, Reutlingen, a city in south-west Germany, has equipped its rubbish trucks with cameras and sensors. The high tech vehicles have been patrolling Reutlingen for several months. Their mission: Detect plastic, paper and other no-nos in compost bins.

Despite renewed awareness campaigns across Germany, not all residents and households are willing to separate their organic waste correctly, often throwing out their banana peels, plate scrapings and dead leaves tied up in a plastic bag - defeating the purpose of collecting organic waste.

But that will now cost them. According to the city, around 120 people have received fines of €105 each ($123), with a handful challenging the penalties in court.

For some, there was no improvement seen, so about 50 organic waste bins from multi-family homes and residential complexes are now regularly sent for manual sorting - with a special collection fee of between €65 and €84, depending on the size of the bin, tacked on to their fee.

A rude awakening with the final bill

The property management companies for these units have repeatedly warned that these special rubbish collections are an expensive affair, says Dirk Kurzschenkel, head of the Technical Operations Services in the city of 130,000 residents.

Locals are likely to be in for a shock when the final bills arrive.

"The invoices are already being sent to the property management companies, which are collecting them. The final settlement will be made in the summer of the following year. That means the big awakening will come for some next summer," Kurzschenkel says.

From January to mid-April, the proportion of bins flagged for contamination dropped from 21% to under 7%, according to the city. "Since the end of April, complaints have fallen to 3%," Kurzschenkel reported.

AI-powered cameras detect plastic

The detection systems on Reutlingen's rubbish trucks are equipped with AI-powered cameras that can identify contaminants, such as plastic, either before or during the emptying process.

The AI recognizes anything that does not belong in organic waste and takes photos of it. This makes it difficult for those challenging the fines to win before a judge, as photographic evidence exists, Kurzschenkel explains.

The results of the AI analysis are continuously communicated to residents by the Technical Operations Services team using tags attached to the bins. Properly filled bins receive a green tag, confirming correct waste separation. Incorrectly filled bins are given a yellow tag, indicating room for improvement.

During this phase, the bins are still emptied. However, if the AI now detects plastic or other contaminants in the organic waste, a red tag is issued and the bin is left unemptied.

Affected households must then manually sort the waste and prepare the bin for the next regular pick up or request a special collection.