– The website discusses the issue of waste management and the staggering amount of rubbish generated globally.
– According to the World Bank, approximately 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste were produced in 2020, with estimates indicating a projected increase to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050.
– Plastic waste is a particularly challenging aspect of waste management, with over 8.3 billion tonnes produced from the 1950s to 2015.
– Greyparrot, a UK start-up, has developed an AI system to analyze waste processing and recycling facilities.
– The AI system utilizes video cameras and AI software to enable real-time analysis of waste materials.
– Training AI to recognize and categorize waste remains a complex task due to the varied conditions and states of waste objects.
– Greyparrot's AI systems track an astonishing 32 billion waste objects per year, creating a digital map of waste.
– Waste management and climate change are interlinked issues, as a significant portion of resources is not recovered.
– Packaging innovation plays a role in waste reduction, with companies like Footprint developing eco-friendly alternatives to plastic trays.
Strategies and initiatives for encouraging recycling and waste reduction include education and awareness, improving recycling infrastructure, extended producer responsibility (EPR)
– designing for recyclability, deposit return schemes, composting, plastic bag bans, encouraging reuse and repair, collaboration with businesses and industries, and government regulations and policies.