The program is a possible first step in solving some of the flaws inherent to the U.S.’ recycling system, the city’s Economic Development Director Jeanine Jerkovic, previously told Government Technology.
The city is conducting the pilot program with the support of The Connective, the smart city consortium for the greater Phoenix region, and is made possible through the 2022 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge, hosted by Leading Cities in partnership with QBE North America.
Through that challenge, Automedi won City Solution of the Year and received a monetary prize to fund the project. The winning solution involves using Automedi’s solution to turn plastic waste into functional products with 3D-printing technology.
Recycling has been a challenge for the city for several years, and was made even more challenging when China began restricting recycling imports, explained Eric Fitzer, director of strategic initiatives for the city. That import restriction pushed the city to examine its recycling program, finding that a large percentage of the city’s recycling was going to a landfill. At that point, the city stopped processing its own recycling.
This past year, the City Council wanted to bring back the recycling program through a contracted service, while also exploring other waste management options that might improve the traditional recycling program.
Through The Connective, the city came across Automedi’s solution, opting to deploy three 3D printers throughout the community.
The solution is quite simple, Automedi Managing Director Ethar Alali explained. Essentially, waste is placed into a bin with a smart sensor to detect when it is full; the full bin is collected and the waste is placed into a machine that turns the waste into a form of grind. The grind is a small-scale, pelletized version of plastic that acts as filament. The material is then able to be transformed into new products — from paperclips to bottle openers and beyond — through 3D-printing technology.
The solution is offered to the city as a package, including both the reclaimers and the 3D-printing technology, for a decentralized and sustainable solution.
As Alali further explained, circular economies today are rarely as circular as they claim to be. Part of the reason for this is a city’s limited ability to provide oversight as recyclable waste is sold to a manufacturer trying to reuse the material. Alali said this conventional method tends to be energy- and time-consuming, but Automedi’s solution can almost democratize the process.
“With our technology, what that allows us to do is to basically downscale … that technology by giving you the entirety of the circular system in one — what we call — cluster.”
Notably, the tech can help cities make use of waste from face masks that have become commonly used during the COVID-19 pandemic and create significant waste.
For a city like Surprise, this solution gives the community control of their waste by enabling them to use it as a resource.
The material can be used to create a vast range of products, like coat hooks or even smaller products or parts that could be used in city warehousing. And notably, these products can then be recycled over and over with this system.
“We want to show that we can actually use our waste to generate products that we use out in the field,” said Fitzer, detailing that several city departments are exploring smaller parts that can be created and produced through this solution.
Typically, Alali noted that when recycling is done by another manufacturer, the value goes elsewhere and it costs the entity — in this case government — money. With this solution, value is created for the city in the form of products that residents can use, keeping the economic value of the waste in the community.
Fitzer underlined that the city is still in the pilot phase of this program, focusing on program implementation and contract negotiations.
As the program is implemented, Automedi will have an employee onsite to facilitate the implementation and the city will take the role of coordination.
For the city of Surprise, it was important to include both libraries and schools as locations from an equity perspective.
The city operates its library system, which has been an integral part of engaging the unique community. Fitzer explained that while the city began as a retirement community, it has grown to include younger families. The two distinct groups have their own unique needs, Fitzer added, noting that the library system has been key to reaching the older population while schools engage the younger residents.
Fitzer noted that conversations are happening with other cities that are interested in getting involved with this operation as it is potentially scalable for a regional impact.
“We feel that program lives and breathes and is regional in nature,” Fitzer said.
The pilot’s first major liftoff is slated for this spring, but the goal is for the larger project kickoff to take place in November 2024 and to be fully operational. It will run for six months with a focus on getting the technology implemented and to spread regional awareness.
