Alexa will tell people in Monmouthshire when their bins are being collected

A new service that allows residents to check with Alexa when their waste and recycling will be collected and help to log a missed collection has been launched by Monmouthshire Council.

The new service allows residents to access information relating to their waste collections by simply asking their Alexa device questions such as ‘when is my next recycling collection?’

The service developed by We Build Bots “has been a number of years in the making” said the council and designed to avoid them having to answer multiple questions on similar topics.

The Alexa skill is offered alongside other methods of contact including ‘Monty,’ the council’s chatbot service, which can also be accessed on the web or via Facebook Messenger.

Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Phil Murphy said: “I’m delighted we have been able to launch this service, allowing people to find out information relating to waste and recycling by simply asking a question.

“We have seen rapid developments in artificial intelligence and the technology to support it in recent years, allowing us to do average tasks more simply and efficiently.

“We pride ourselves on being a forward thinking authority and exploring new technologies to help provide better services for our residents is just one of many ways we look to keep moving with the times.

“As Christmas approaches, there’s no doubt many residents may receive a gift of a new ‘smart’ device such as Alexa from loved ones, so I hope to see more residents using this brilliant new service.”

The Alexa skill can be accessed by logging into the Alexa app and enabling the skill. More information can be found here.