In Alsace, the environmental services company Veolia has deployed four new collection trucks fitted with high-definition cameras and artificial-intelligence software to monitor waste-sorting performance among professional customers, including universities, clinics and supermarket chains. The system captures images of hoppers as they are emptied into the truck and the AI analyses up to 30 different material types, generating reports that are subsequently reviewed by a human operator.
The pilot deployment covers two trucks operating in Alsace: one serving the Mulhouse area and one the Bas-Rhin/Strasbourg region. Nationally, Veolia says it has a fleet of some 40 vehicles engaged in similar monitoring. The stated objectives include enhancing safety (notably by identifying lithium batteries and nitrous-oxide bottles that can cause fires or explosions in sorting plants), complying with regulatory obligations around waste streams, and supporting clients in maximising recovery of recyclable materials.
While investment cost, vendor identity and full scale details for the Alsace deployment were not disclosed publicly. The initiative forms part of the company’s wider digital programme, under which it aims to deploy connected solutions to improve efficiency, traceability and environmental performance.
While not clear if the technology vendor is the same this is the second such pilot for waste-sorting mounted on a waste truck in France after the announcement of Ficha fitting two waste trucks earlier this week in Riom.
