The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) may start using artificial intelligence (AI) cameras to flag improper waste disposal under the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) in Metro Manila next week, General Manager Nicolas Torre II said on Thursday.
This came a day after Torre said that the NCAP will soon cover littering through monitoring of closed-circuit television cameras. The NCAP currently flags traffic violations in major roads in Metro Manila.
‘After one week, we may start implementing this using cameras and we will send notice of violation to erring individuals,’ Torre told reporters in an interview.
While Torre said that many local government units (LGUs) already implement policies on proper waste disposal, he noted that this is the agency’s initiative in instilling discipline to the public through the use of AI cameras.
Torre said that there will still be implementation of first, second, and third offense, with the amount of fines depending on the policies of every LGU.
‘Just because there are no enforcers, you can do what is wrong. We will just want to make sure that we are implementing laws uniform and consistent using the technology,’ Torre noted.
He explained that AI cameras are programmed to detect if an individual will dispose of their trash elsewhere. If the incident happens along the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, the cameras will flag the vehicle details to identify the violator.
He also said that with AI cameras being concentrated near creeks, the cameras will capture the individual for the agency to send to their respective barangays to identify them.
‘We are not doing this for surveillance purposes. We want to equally implement the law so if you did not do anything wrong, you have nothing to be scared of. If you did something bad, there is a consequence,’ he expressed.
With this, Torre said that they expect this initiative to help in mitigating flooding during the rainy season as they collect around 7,000 tons of garbage from creeks every year.