AI TECHNOLOGY

Why McDonald’s is Using Artificial Intelligence to Spy on Its Dumpsters

Uses for AI and machine learning just got weirder

Somebody’s Eyes Watching

In an age where surveillance and monitoring are all too easily misused, the idea of a camera in odd places can seem a bit weird and even a little creepy.

Even when cameras are where they’re supposed to be, it can mean that you’re being watched by who knows who.

I definitely cover my webcam to keep unscrupulous eyes from peering through watching me in my own home.

So, I was a little leery when I found out that McDonald’s was putting cameras in their dumpsters.

“For what?” I said.

My first thought was that they wanted to do that to possibly catch dumpster divers, but then I thought what would somebody be trying to find that they could sell in a McDonald’s dumpster?

Then I thought well maybe they’re putting the cameras in the dumpsters to catch homeless people rummaging through them, which I thought was a rotten thing for them to do.

But neither of these is the case.

Cameras Installed in Dumpsters

It appears that some McDonald’s locations are now installing the dumpster cameras to help with a problem with recycling in this country.

The reason is to clean up the trash — isn’t that oxymoronic?

It all made sense to me when I read that China stopped accepting millions of tons of recycling materials from the U.S. in 2017, because there were too many contaminants mixed in with the recycling waste.

So, instead of stopping the recycling programs, cameras are being installed to monitor what people are throwing away and manage the recycling of trash.

Kinda weird, right?

The Issue of Contaminated Recycling

According to CNN, throwing non-recyclable items (i.e., coffee cups, cardboard boxes) in with recyclable items in the recycle bin renders the recycling unusable.

And, it is a major undertaking to remove the non-recyclable items. If the trash that gets mixed in with the recycling cannot be removed, then it all has to be sent to the landfill, which of course is detrimental to the environment.

How AI Fits into This

The company behind this process is Compology, owned by tech expert Jason Gates, which installs the cameras with artificial intelligence that monitors in real time what is being thrown into the dumpsters and sends the company alerts if anything gets thrown in that should not be there. Then someone at the company can go out to the dumpster and remove it.

Huh?

This seems like a bit much to me. It’s kind of like using a gun to kill a bug.

Why not just make sure people in the office understand why it’s important to throw stuff in the correct receptacles? At a company I worked for there were signs and illustrations of what should go in what bin.

But then again, people don’t always want to follow directions, do they?

How the Technology Works

So, according to Gates, the company trains its AI system using advanced machine learning techniques to take photos 3–5 times a day using neuronetworks. More than 80 million images from 162,000 cameras have been processed so far.

That’s just mind-boggling!

The technology also tracks specific information about the dumpster like how full it is, when it was serviced, and what type of material is put into it. This data helps companies manage costs and reduce their environmental impact.

Is It Successful?

Gates says that companies are seeing up to a 60–80% reduction in non-recyclable contaminants disposed in the waste containers. The AI camera can point out six types of contamination in organics streams, recycling, and waste.

Not Just McDonald’s

Other companies besides McDonald’s working with Compology with this technology include Nordstrom, Capital One, Starbucks, and ADT.

Costs and Savings

It would seem that this service would cost more but businesses only pay $10-$20 per dumpster per month. This is a definite win for companies because they’re saving $1000s per dumpster on waste-hauling costs per year.

AI monitors when a dumpster is full and companies can wait until then to have them emptied instead of wasting money on emptying half full dumpsters.

How the U.S. Can Benefit

The EPA has a goal of raising the country’s domestic recycling rate from 32% to 50% by the year 2030. Using AI and cameras to clean up dumpster waste materials in each state could help get us there, and it could mean that the U.S. can deal with its own recycling, instead of outsourcing to China.

The Takeaway

Looks like dumpster divers may find themselves on camera when more companies adopt this process. But at least we’ll have “cleaner garbage”.

Another story related to artificial intelligence by Audrey Malone

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Audrey Malone is a freelance writer, professional resume writer, and editor, including editor for Medium publication, ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR.

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