United Membership Feature!Dear RFT members,
My name is Juyeong Choi, and I am an Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. In collaboration with Recycling Florida Today, my research team at FSU is preparing a proposal for the Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. Our goal is to develop a large language model (LLM)-based planning support system to assist with recycling policy and education initiatives.
This proposal builds on our recent study that examined the factors influencing individuals’ decisions to recycle. We found that community members often face distinct barriers and have different information needs when it comes to recycling.
With advancements in artificial intelligence, we aim to analyze individual waste disposal behaviors and create a system that helps local agencies design more tailored and effective recycling programs based on their community’s specific needs. A summary of the proposed project is included below for your reference.
To move this project forward, we are seeking communities or counties interested in participating as case studies. We hope to work closely with selected participants to better understand behavioral patterns and collaboratively develop policy and educational recommendations using our LLM-based model.
If your community is interested in participating, please complete the form at the link below by April 16:
https://forms.office.com/r/k0KkCn0ebt
Thank you for considering this opportunity to support innovative, data-driven approaches to improving recycling across Florida. We look forward to working together to make our state greener and more sustainable.
Please feel free to contact me by email at jchoi@eng.famu.fsu.edu if you have any questions.
Project summary
Effective recycling is crucial to Florida’s environmental sustainability and resource conservation, yet its success depends on how residents manage their waste. Achieving higher recycling rates and reducing contamination requires informed, data-driven policy making that accounts for the complex social, economic, and psychological factors influencing recycling behavior. Conventional models often fall short of capturing this complexity. This proposal tackles these challenges by developing a Large Language Model (LLM)-powered, persona-based policy support system capable of simulating how diverse communities respond to a spectrum of interventions and strategies. A mixed-methods design underpins this approach, beginning with a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey to establish baseline behavioral data. Building on the insights gained from this survey, LLM-powered agents will be developed to represent distinct personas. These agents will be utilized to evaluate and refine current recycling strategies. Finally, a user-friendly interface will be developed, allowing end users to easily develop and test scenarios to support the development of effective recycling strategies. In alignment with the Hinkley Center’s research agenda (Topic #9), this work benefits stakeholders by developing a scalable easy-to-use decision support tool that leverages state-of-the-art AI to advance recycling participation and improve recycling practices and efficiency across Florida communities.
Best regards,
Juyeong
Juyeong Choi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
2035 E Paul Dirac Dr 2nd Floor, Room 277
Tallahassee, FL 32310
(850) 410-6190
Email: jchoi@eng.famu.fsu.edu
