“hard” infrastructure by Sidewalk, because they would be highly redesign products that are problematic because they are a source costly to implement and maintain. of pollution (Sidewalk Labs, 2017b: 346).10 Sidewalk Labs proposed to take a neighborhood-level approach 1.2.1Implementation of “pay-as-you-throw” smart waste that could integrate green infrastructure designs, including a chutes digital tool to monitor storm water management, while also To help Toronto achieve its goal regarding recycling services minimizing the need for hard infrastructure. In addition to and waste management, Sidewalk Labs proposed integrating this, green infrastructure (for example, green roofs and larger a series of technological, policy, and infrastructure measures. streets) could help to retain storm water and purify it through Like many other cities, Toronto has improved its recycling natural means (Sidewalk Labs, 2017: 174). Moreover, digital rates with a “pay-as-you-throw” program, consisting of systems could play an active role by, for example, freeing up charging residents for landfill waste they throw away each storm water containers in advance of storms and monitoring week (Sidewalk Labs, 2017). Residents failing to sort their the quality of drinking water in real time.7 waste correctly risk having it left uncollected. However, this program has not proven its efficiency over time. There is no 1.2 Recycling services way of knowing which tenant is throwing out what in a building garbage chute or trash room. In 2016, Toronto’s solid waste management planning set a citywide waste reduction target of recycling 70 percent of recyclables and To address this challenge, Sidewalk Labs aimed to design a organics and diverting them from landfill waste by 2026 (Sidewalk building “smart chute” device that could calculate waste by Labs, 2017). Currently, multifamily buildings only recycle 27 building units and even bring the “pay-as-you-throw” program percent of their waste, and commercial buildings recycle even less into a dense neighborhood. The proposed system required three of theirs—around 19 percent (Sidewalk Labs, 2017). waste chutes (for organics, recyclables, and landfill garbage) that building tenants would unlock using an app. Digital devices Indeed, the biggest challenge to achieving that diversion would then have measured the waste’s volume to charge each rate is “source separation,” the process of making sure that tenant for what had been deposited. recyclables and organics go into separate containers. The city has conducted ongoing waste audits to measure current A recycling process of this kind has the potential to reduce landfill diversion rates more effectively. However, these audits the volume of waste transported in trucks to garbage-sorting are expensive and make up only a small sample of the city’s facilities (which account for 28 percent of waste-processing overall waste practices.8 costs) (Sidewalk Labs, 2017: 179). Sidewalk Labs calculated that if its smart waste policies were applied across the entire 190 Sidewalk proposed to automate these audits using a computer acres of the IDEA District, they could reduce GHG emissions by program developed by AMP Robotics. This software is designed to 1.08 tons per capita per year (Sidewalk Labs, 2017b: 360-361). 11 be installed on waste conveyor belts and can help to classify waste and identify common recycling mistakes over time.9For example, 1.3 Public safety the software could determine an increased rate of attempts to recycle coffee cups. Detecting such a trend could stimulate an Toronto Police Service conducted consultations on its Task awareness campaign encouraging coffee shops, restaurants, Force Interim Report, which examined potential changes to and their customers to put these cups into bins for nonrecyclable policing in Toronto (https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ waste or use reusable cups. Moreover, this real-time monitoring ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-96978.pdf). The consultations included system could help cities like Toronto to work with manufacturers to ten public meetings that were attended by more than five (7) For more information on the Sidewalk project’s proposals about green roofs, see pages 194, 223, 360, and 363 of Sidewalk Labs, 2017b. (8) On Toronto’s pay-as-you-throw fees and residential diversion rates, see the “Houses” and “Diversion Rates and Reports” pages on the City of Toronto’s Recycling, Organics & Garbage website. https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/recycling-organics-garbage/ (Accessed on 21 July 2021). (9) http://145881801-Sustainability-part-2-optimizing-building-energy-systems-part-1-creating-low-energy-buildings-part-3-making-full-electrification-affordable. html (accessed on 8 May 2020). (10) Sidewalk Labs is an investor in AMP (p. 346). For more information on the parts of the Sidewalk project that involved AMP, see pages 346-347 and 447 of Sidewalk Labs, 2017b. (11) On the pay-as-you-throw system proposed by Sidewalk, see pages 360-361 and 369 of Sidewalk Labs, 2017b. See also: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/ recycling-organics-garbage/ (Accessed on 21 July 2021). 170 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021