From Innovation Challenge to AI-powered Waste Diversion

This information was sourced from "From Innovation Challenge to AI-powered waste diversion" by Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OECD), https://oecd-opsi.org/innovations/ai-for-saskatchewans-waste-diversion/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO).

Innovation Overview

Innovation Saskatchewan's Innovation Challenge program facilitated a groundbreaking partnership between the Ministry of Environment and Prairie Robotics, a Regina-based AI startup, to address the complex issues of waste management and citizen education.

Saskatchewan, like many North American jurisdictions, lacked effective means to track waste generation, diversion, and disposal. To support the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy, accurate waste quantification became crucial, especially given diminishing landfill capacity and resource depletion.

Prairie Robotics developed a three-step AI recycling model:

1. Equipping recycling trucks with cameras, GPS, and computers for load auditing.
2. Using machine learning to identify contaminants.
3. Providing targeted household education based on individual waste analytics.

This innovative solution serves both as an AI-powered waste management tool and a customized education platform. It offers residents detailed insights into their waste habits, similar to utilities like water or electricity, fostering greater engagement in proper recycling practices.

The Innovation Challenge's initial $10,000 grant catalyzed Prairie Robotics' growth, leading to over $2 million in subsequent funding, expansion to 20+ cities, and creation of high-skilled jobs. The solution's success in Saskatchewan has led to its adoption across North America, demonstrating the Innovation Challenge program's effectiveness in addressing complex societal issues while driving technological advancement and economic growth.

What Makes Your Project Innovative?

The Innovation Challenge program, spearheaded by Innovation Saskatchewan, fostered a collaborative partnership between the Ministry of Environment and Prairie Robotics to develop an AI-driven solution focused on citizen education and empowerment. This initiative exemplifies how government agencies can leverage open innovation processes to address complex challenges while simultaneously providing local startups with opportunities to adapt and scale their technologies to solve pressing regional issues.

The program's structured approach, beginning with a clear problem definition from the government, effectively connected tech startups with relevant stakeholders. This process not only streamlined solution development but also ensured that the resulting innovations directly addressed the identified needs.

This particular project also stands out as a pioneering application of AI in environmental solutions and waste management. By harnessing advanced analytics, the initiative enhances citizen education, potentially leading to more informed and environmentally conscious communities. The success of this collaboration demonstrates the value of open innovation in bridging the gap between public sector challenges and private sector ingenuity.

What is the current status of your innovation?

This innovation is currently implemented and ongoing, having successfully expanded beyond municipalities in Saskatchewan to include various others across Canada and North America. It has been adopted in locations such as Leduc, Alberta; Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada; and East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Collaborations & Partnerships

Government Bodies:

1. Innovation Saskatchewan: Enabled and funded the exchange between government departments (the Ministry of Environment) and a local startup tech company through their Innovation Challenge program.
2. Ministry of Environment: Presented a key challenge and was open to novel, innovative solutions from startups.

Companies: Prairies Robotics: Quickly repurposed their AI technology to meet the needs of the Ministry.

Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries

This innovative solution offers multiple benefits across different stakeholders:

1. Citizens: Residents gain valuable insights into their household waste management practices through personalized analytics. This educational component empowers them to make more informed decisions about recycling and waste reduction.
2. Government: Local authorities benefit from cutting-edge technology that enhances waste management processes and reduces contamination in recycling streams. This improvement leads to more efficient operations and potentially lower costs.
3. Prairie Robotics: The startup successfully leveraged the Innovation Challenge funding and contract opportunity as a springboard for growth. This initial success enabled them to scale their operations, expanding their services to other municipalities in Canada and internationally.

Results, Outcomes & Impacts

On the local government level, this AI solution has helped different municipalities in reducing the recycling stream contamination. On the start-up business scaling level, the municipal uptake has allowed Prairie Robotics to build a business around the core AI technology.

Challenges and Failures

One of the challenges at the primary stages of the solution development, was the gap between the waste management challenge put forward by the Ministry of Environment and the initially proposed AI technology solution that Prairies Robotics presented. What was proposed initially is different from the currently implemented core AI technology.

The cameras and weigh scales were proposed to be at the point of waste drop off. However, some limitations were brought forward by the Ministry of Environment about the implausibility of such solution at landfills. Hence, as a result of the collaborative innovation process of the Innovation Challenge, Prairies Robotics were quick to pivot and offer their solution for the bin collection point in the trucks.

Conditions for Success

As a collaborative innovation project, multiple conditions were necessary for the implementation, success and sustainability.

1. Innovation Challenge as a unique grant program in its structure of crowd sourcing novel technology solutions to address the ever-rising challenges of the public sector.
2. Innovation Saskatchewan's funding programs as well as its intermediary role through its staff’s exposure and strong relationships with industry, startups, and university.
3. Other government funding programs that helped the team commercialize and incentive investors — helping Prairie Robotics close a $690,000 seed round in 2021.
4. The Ministry of Environment’s willingness to put up a challenge and be part of a novel crowd-sourcing innovation process.

Replication

The AI solution developed in Saskatchewan for waste management has proven its versatility and scalability, successfully expanding to other provinces across Canada and North America. This widespread adoption demonstrates the innovation's relevance and effectiveness beyond its initial local context. The project's success highlights the potential for AI technology to address challenges in other key sectors of Saskatchewan's economy, particularly in agriculture. For instance, AI-powered systems could revolutionize crop management automation, potentially mitigating risks associated with periodic agricultural inspections through more frequent and accurate assessments.

Lessons Learned

The success of this project hinged on innovation, collaboration, and an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving in the public sector. The Innovation Challenge provided a unique platform for government organizations to explore innovative solutions and connect with technology companies, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem. This structure, combining grant funding with a well-defined process of open submissions and problem-focused solutions, proved highly effective. By crowd-sourcing ideas and fostering partnerships between public and private sectors, the program demonstrated a powerful model for addressing complex governmental challenges. This approach not only solved the immediate waste management issue but also established a replicable framework for future public sector innovation projects.

Budget: Not disclosed