Following the introduction of the SB1383 legislation across California, a new set of requirements were introduced for residents and businesses to comply with. Without a scalable way to engage with residents, sharing practical guidance around the correct disposal of waste and these new rules was time and resource consuming for the LA Sanitation and Environment team.
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Effective waste management depends on residents having clear, accessible information at the moment they need it. When guidance is difficult to find or understand, the confusion around the disposal of waste grows, making it challenging to change community waste-sorting behaviours and reduce contamination.
AI-powered engagmement provides waste management teams like LA Sanitation with a scalable way to instantly answer resident questions, whilst creating a valuable source of insight into the questions and challenges communities face, all without increasing the demand on staff.
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Professor Green is an AI-powered Digital Team Member created by Hello Lamp Post for LA Sanitation, acting as a digital extension of their team to support residents 24/7 with the correct sorting of organic waste under the SB1383 waste legislation.
Residents across the city of Los Angeles can engage in a natural, two-way digital conversation with Professor Green via QR-enabled signage. Using their mobile phone, users can receive instant, location-specific answers to questions around the correct disposal of household items, and access real-time information on collection days, without waiting in customer service queues, or searching online.
Phase 1 (Pilot Stage): Professor Green initially launched in four neighborhoods, assisting residents with practical advice on food waste, and answering recycling-related questions like ‘what bin does this item go in?’. Residents could interact with Professor Green in six languages, specifically relevant to those neighborhoods.
Phase 2 (City-Wide Expansion): Now available across the City of Los Angeles, residents can access Professor Green anytime in 14 languages via LA Sanitation’s website, magnets, trucks signs and other formats.
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By answering routine waste queries automatically, Professor Green has reduced the number of questions requiring direct staff involvement, saving their team valuable time to focus on handling complex queries and other important priorities.
With the automation of insight gathering, LA Sanitation’s team has also unlocked greater visibility of the needs and challenges residents face across the city. With access to the data via a real-time dashboard, staff can act upon data more efficiently and make more informed decision-making.
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Starting as a small-scale trial, Professor Green has successfully evolved into a city-wide expansion. With a scalable solution, LA Sanitation is supporting more residents than was previously possible, and gathering a richer contextual understanding of resident recycling habits all-year round.
During the pilot stage, strong levels of engagement were achieved:
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Since launching city-wide, Professor Green has achieved:
"Professor Green offers support right when residents need it, and has helped us connect with communities that have been harder to reach. It’s now quick and easy for people to get clear answers to their waste sorting questions, helping them make everyday decisions around waste a little simpler.”
Barbara Romero,
Director and General Manager
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