In an effort to encourage more and better recycling habits while reducing the amount of contaminated materials deposited in recycling carts, the City of Olympia is launching a contamination reduction project. The project will rely on cameras, computers and global positioning systems on city recycling trucks to examine the contents of curbside recycling carts, and then provide residents feedback as needed.
Thousands of selected households will receive an initial postcard in the mail about the project, the City of Olympia said in announcing the project, with reminders of accepted materials and top contaminates prior to the launch. 鈥淚 believe our customers are committed to recycling but may need some clarification on what can and can鈥檛 be recycled,鈥� said Kim Johnson, who is the Residential Educator for the City of Olympia Public Works Department, in a statement that accompanied the announcement. 鈥淐ustomers may have questions regarding why something isn鈥檛 accepted, and I鈥檓 happy to help.鈥�
The City of Olympia is partnering with the Washington State Department of Ecology, nonprofit The Recycling Partnership of Washington, D.C., and Prairie Robotics of Saskatchewan, Canada, on the project.