Optimization of Selective Waste Collection with an Incentive Tariff in Beaconsfield

The City of Beaconsfield wants to undertake a pilot project to study selective waste collection with an incentive tariff. In January 2016, the city adopted a new waste collection system that uses an incentive tariff (IT) based on pick-up and volume. The purpose of this initiative is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and the number of bins at the curb, which will limit the number of stops by the collection truck and the number of times the hydraulic system raises the bins. These two approaches would save time, fuel and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, this new incentive tariff creates a risk of increasing the contamination of recycling materials. The objective of this pilot project is therefore to assess whether using a monitoring system of the collection of recyclables would influence the residents’ behaviour and help reducing the contamination of recyclables. Beaconsfield will compare the selective collection behaviour of three groups of 250 participants. The first group will be subject to the IT and will accept to participate in the project. The second group will also be subject to the IT but will not be informed of the project. The third group will be chosen from residents of a comparable neighbouring municipality who know nothing about the project and are billed at a flat rate. Each of the participants’ recycling bins will be equipped with a transponder. The collection truck will have a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system to record collection data with an onboard computer and a camera. The onboard computer has a menu of buttons for problems (undesirable materials, bin in the wrong place, etc.). Therefore, if unauthorized waste is observed, the driver can take a picture of the owner’s bin. Also, every time a bin is lifted, the transponder will record the following information in a database: carrier number, GPS coordinates to confirm the location of the bin, date and time of pick-up. Tracking the recycling bins will make it possible to identify and avoid contamination of recyclable materials. GHG measuring equipment will also be installed on the truck. The pilot project will last 12 months and will measure the following data: contamination rate, how full the bins are, how many bins are put out in each season, fuel savings, GHG reduction, and potential risks of large-scale rollout of the project. If the environmental and economic gains are conclusive, the city plans to install transponders on all its recycling bins as a monitoring system. The city is targeting a waste diversion rate of 61%. It also expects to save 30% per year on energy and GHG emissions, plus 25% on costs, for $100,000 per year, as well as extend the service life of the landfill site. This project is aligned with Beaconsfield’s 2010-2015 Plan for Sustainable Development, in which one of the objectives is to divert 60% of waste from landfill. The project is also accepted by the local public as a result of an awareness campaign and open house events. The city will partner with NRJ Environnement to assess the time and fuel savings, and with Lateral Innovation to monitor collection with the RFID technology. (Project description from original funding application)