Cities need tools to measure recycling and track it in real time. We’ve created one of the
most advanced such tools – RUBICONView™, a recycling audit application that helped Atlanta
reduce problematic recycling at the source.
Contaminants like plastic bags and hoses in household recycling bins can kill a
recycling program. Municipal recycling facilities that find these non-recyclable
materials in a load of recycling may automatically declare the entire load
“contaminated” and consign it to the landfill, costing the city thousands of dollars per
load. That’s why auditing household recycling streams is so critical.
RUBICONView streamlines these recycling audits on a large scale. A smartphone app
enables auditors to capture the location and origin of each load, take images of the
material, and document occurrences of contamination. That information then automatically
uploads to Rubicon’s cloud-based portal for analysis, providing a clearer view of
contamination by individual recyclers and communities.
Our inaugural implementation in Atlanta yielded:
83%
reduction in recyclables headed to
landfills
70%
total recycling participation rate
over seven weeks
57%
reduction in overall recycling
contamination
27%
increase in overall capture of
quality recyclables
The seven-week Atlanta campaign covered four neighborhoods. It revealed common recycling
mistakes,
such as mixing food waste into recyclables, bagging recyclables instead of leaving them loose in
bins,
and putting plastic bags in with recyclables when they should just be reused instead. In
fact, 85% of contamination issues arose from plastic bags found in the recycling stream.
In response to these findings, the team placed “Oops” tags on contaminated loads. These tags,
followed
by official letters from the City of Atlanta, remind residents about the best ways to separate
their
recycling from other waste, and how to fill their bins properly.
Atlanta’s results offer only a glimpse of what’s possible with digital tools. RUBICONView
can empower cities to reduce contamination and help create the stream of recyclables
essential to a circular economy.
RUBICONSmartCity
RUBICONSmartCity
Rubicon’s vision of a smart city includes advanced technology to deliver city services
proactively rather than reactively. Our RUBICONSmartCity™ solution turns sanitation and
recycling vehicles into roaming data collection centers, enabling municipal solid waste fleets
to collect valuable data to improve operations and monitor city conditions.
