Across the United States, nearly 1.5 million tons of trash are illegally dumped each year. As a result, local communities face the effects of illegal dumping, which range from contaminated groundwater to wildlife disruption. And of course, governments and their citizens end up footing the bill for the necessary cleanup efforts.
More than ever, municipal governments and police agencies alike are ramping up their efforts to prevent and enforce illegal dumping—and innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) have proven to be extremely effective in spearheading those efforts.
"Traditional" Prevention and Enforcement
Traditionally, illegal dumping is reported to local police departments by witnesses, but it is rare for a police officer to catch a person in the act. Instead, one or two days later, officers may have the resources to check video recordings to see if they can gather any evidence that may include a description of the suspect, a vehicle make/model, a license plate number, and other details. With enough evidence, charges may eventually be filed—but this is not always the case. Meanwhile, this method does little to actually prevent illegal dumping from occurring in the first place.
Innovations in Illegal Dumping Prevention and Enforcement
In recent years, AI has been used to more proactively prevent and enforce illegal dumping. Specifically, EPIC iO's DeepInsights™ƒ solutions have been successful in analyzing data from video and IoT sensors in real-time. From there, these solutions can actively respond to illegal dumping as it is happening (or about to happen).
There are a number of specific AI products that can work to prevent and enforce illegal dumping, including the DeepInsights™ solar trailer, which can be easily moved from one location to the next. At each location, the solar trailer allows you to analyze data and provide high-quality and high-volume intake at the edge or in rural/remote locations where additional sources may not be available. EPIC iO's Universal IoT Gateway (UIG) is effective at processing large amounts of data quickly at each location, provided that there is access to a power source.
Meanwhile, solar cameras and sensors can be used to capture images at low-traffic dumping locations. Because these cameras are solar- or battery-operated, they are easy to relocate as needed.
All of these products can be seamlessly integrated with most existing systems to maximize results and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, DeepInsights™ is designed to prevent and enforce illegal dumping by capturing it as it's happening and intervening in real-time. Specifically, cameras/sensors and UIG technology can:
- Recognize a stopped vehicle and send an alert.
- Automatically ID and store license plate information.
- Utilize "voice down" commands to stop illegal dumping from taking place.
Meanwhile, EPIC iO's DeepInsights™ platform is able to work directly with local police departments to assist with enforcement by sending footage of the dumping incident along with license plate information. With this package of information, law enforcement can more easily issue citations or warnings for dumping. And because DeepInsights™ stores license plate information with each incident, officers can also track how many times a vehicle has been cited or warned for illegal dumping.
Kick Illegal Dumping to the Curb with DeepInsights™
AI technology has come a long way in recent years—and now it's being used to stop illegal dumping in its tracks while assisting police with enforcement. With DeepInsights™ from EPIC iO, local communities can enjoy savings in costs related to cleaning up and removing trash that has been illegally dumped. Meanwhile, residents can enjoy a cleaner community while city managers and police departments gain access to valuable information on how often people dump trash and when it is being dumped.
And because EPID iO's solutions offer more than one way to solve and monitor illegal dumping (as well as multiple products to choose from), it can be adapted and scaled as needed.
If illegal dumping is a problem in your community, don't rely on traditional methods of prevention and enforcement alone. Schedule a live demo with EPIC iO today to learn more about how DeepInsights™ can help reduce illegal dumping and improve enforcement in your community. You can also reach out to our knowledgeable and friendly team with any questions you may have; we'd be happy to help!
