Our waste collection schedules are locked behind PDFs and a proprietary app that doesn’t allow exporting. I used GenAI to transform the visual calendar into ICS files ready for import into Outlook, Google Calendar, and the likes.

The Problem

Wächtersbach’s waste calendar: PDF-only distribution. No structured data. No API. Manual transcription required.

We organize everything with Google Calendar in our family. I don’t want another single-purpose app just to check when garbage is due.

The official page offers static PDFs—hostile to calendar automation.

Failed Approaches

Structured PDF parsing: Traditional tools failed. The PDF isn’t tabular data — it’s a visual calendar layout based on images. In fact thats the worst case as this defies what usual OCR can do.

The Solution: LLM-Powered Extraction

I used Gemini (fast tier) with a targeted prompt and attached a screenshot of the PDF:

"You are an expert OCR.
Your task is to extract Garbage Tours out of a PDF containing visual elements. 
The expectation is to provide a structured file containing the tours and the dates. 
Do not add complexity to the file like recurring dates, 
just print the ones which are in the visual elements.

Respond only with this file"

Workflow:

  1. Gemini extracts dates → structured JSON
  2. Python script generates ICS files per waste type
  3. Validation script compares output versions across runs for accuracy

Download Calendars

Not sure which tour you need? Check the official tour map to find your street’s tour number.

Bio Waste:

Paper (PPK):

Recycling (DSD):

Residual Waste (RM):