JANUARY 2025ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS REVIEW8 OPINIONIN MYAt ComEd, an electric utility servicing over four million people across northern Illinois, complying with environmental regulations has long been the bare minimum. As an environmental leader with over 20 years of experience in the utility and non-profit environmental spaces, I have witnessed an exciting evolution of environmental compliance. As our company culture has increasingly valued and embraced sustainability, the need to evolve and continually improve environmental performance is always top of mind. In recent years, innovative technologies have allowed us to challenge the status quo across several of our many environmental programs. AI Elevates Recycling PerformanceOne such example is our waste and recycling program. With hundreds of ComEd-operated dumpsters in use across our service territory, recycling performance has always had room to improve at ComEd. Most dumpsters are serviced on a one-size fits all schedule and experience issues with commingling of recyclables and trash. In 2021, we installed dumpster cameras to tackle these issues through technology and artificial intelligence. 160 cameras were mounted in the corners of select dumpsters. The cameras take still photos three times a day of the inside of the dumpsters, which are transmitted to a Cloud-based platform and interpreted through AI. This allowed our Environmental professionals to determine appropriate service levels and eliminate unnecessary truck rolls, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. Further, we have identified opportunities to reduce contamination, minimize waste and increase recycling by proactively identifying commingling. To date, the program has reduced service of front load dumpsters by over 50 percent.Telematics Transforms Vehicle EmissionsWe have experienced equally strong results in another key program, greenhouse gas emissions management, through idling By Sara Race, Sr. Environmental Compliance Specialist, ComEdTRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Sara Race
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