Decatur Council OKs AI sorter and $115,337 baler for recycling operations

The Decatur City Council on March 16 approved a budget amendment to buy an artificial-intelligence sorting system for the city’s materials recovery facility and authorized a separate $115,337 purchase for a replacement baler for the recycling department.

Wanda Tyler, who identified herself as representing Landfill and Recycling, told the council the sorting system is intended to address recurring labor shortages and increase processing capacity. "It's a sorting system that will take care of the issues that we've had with labor," Tyler said, adding that the facility handled "on average... about anywhere from 240,000 a year to 350,000" last year and that "we can bring in over 5 a half million" with the new system.

Tyler said the baler is needed as a backup because the current unit is under repair; parts are under warranty but staff requested a new machine to avoid future interruptions. She described expected lead times of about two weeks to procure the unit and four to six weeks for full installation and setup.

Council members moved and seconded the measures and recorded unanimous approval on both items. During debate, staff confirmed that change orders or purchases tied to block grant funds would not affect the general fund for related projects.

The council did not specify the exact dollar amount of the AI system purchase in the record of the meeting; the baler purchase was listed at $115,337. The recycling director said staff will proceed with ordering after council approval and expected installation to follow the lead times reported to the council.

The council’s approval takes effect immediately; staff will return with procurement paperwork and any required implementation timelines.