NETHERLANDS — What do high-tech cameras, global positioning systems and computers have to do with recycling? Turns out, quite a bit.
The technology will help educate household recycling customers in the Netherlands about the items that cannot be collected in their curbside recycling bins – contaminants including styrofoam, building materials, trash and large metal items such as lawnmowers.
While it seems like many of these items can and should be recycled, that’s not always the case. We have good intentions to recycle everything, but when contaminants get mixed in, it takes extra time and money to sort them out.
With a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Recycling Partnership, the City of Holland is developing an education campaign for residential recycling customers with the goal of reducing the overall contamination rate in Holland’s residential recycling.
Through the grant, Holland partnered with Republic Services and Prairie Robotics to equip the city’s recycling trucks with the company’s high-tech cameras, GPS, computers and other technology that scans loads of recycling material as they are loaded, identifies contaminants and then generates customized feedback via postcards sent to homes.
The postcards help educate residents on proper recycling practices by sharing what can be recycled in their carts and how to reduce contamination. Eliminating contaminants increases Holland’s recycling rates.
The city has had a longstanding commitment to recycling for decades. Holland introduced curbside recycling bins for residential customers in May 2022. Switching from yellow bags to bins has significantly reduced contamination rates to 10%.
At the same time, community participation has increased to 70%. Both rates are good, but there is still room for improvement.
subscribe:Get unlimited access to local news coverage
“Proper recycling reduces the costs of sending materials that could have been recycled to landfills, saving taxpayer money, supporting jobs and improving the health of the environment,” said Dan Broesma, Holland’s sustainability manager.
“We know residents want to recycle the right way, and through this campaign we’re providing personalized, real-time feedback to help residents recycle the right way.”
It’s about improving community outcomes, one household at a time. It’s about MiSustainableHolland.
— Marianne Manderfield is public relations coordinator for the City of Holland.
About this series:MiSustainable Holland is a collection of community voices sharing the latest on local sustainability efforts.This week’s Sustainability Framework themes: Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is a great resource that must be channelled where it is needed.
