Another World Earth Day is here, and we are faced with the same question: How can we tackle issues that threaten the quality of life on Earth? One of those prime issues is plastic pollution. This year’s theme is aligned with this matter. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is plastic vs. planet. Who will win this? For years we have been trying to help the planet win, and still, victory is not in near sight.
But this time around, we have a superpower with us: Artificial Intelligence. Have you ever thought about how AI can help us beat plastic pollution?
As we commemorate Earth Day 2024, let’s discuss how AI is helping us to beat plastic pollution.
Why is it a big deal?
According to recent reports from Earth.org, we humans generate a staggering 400 million tons of plastic waste each year, of which almost 60% end up in natural environments or landfills. Another scary statistic is that nearly 40% of the world’s oceans have plastic waste in them because annually nearly 8 million tons of plastic waste gets dumped into the ocean across the globe.
These numbers not only mean harm to the flora and fauna of this earth but also affect the quality of life for us human beings. For example, as per the reports from the Geneva Environment Network, an average person could be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week. This has serious consequences for the health and well-being of a person. The same report sheds light on the economic impact of plastic pollution. In 2015, a whopping 250 billion dollars were spent on diseases and disabilities caused by plastic-associated chemicals globally.
If we want to hand a world that enriches life to our future generations, we need to act now and act fast to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis. AI may be the tool that we got at the right time to take impactful actions to address this situation.
The Potential of AI in Plastic Waste Management
From autonomous waste collection to intelligent sorting – AI can enhance our ability to handle plastic waste in ways we never imagined before.
AI is a super-tool in the mission of eliminating plastic waste from the environment. AI can help us in multiple ways, starting from researching for better packaging solutions to better efficiency in plastic recycling. The following are the top trends in the use of AI in the reduction of plastic waste and waste management.
Autonomous Waste Collection
Researchers can use small moving robots to collect trash from public spaces, beaches, etc. Along with that, small water drones which float through water have incredible potential to remove plastic trash from small water bodies like rivers, lakes, and ponds. But how do these robots and water drones identify plastic waste? Here comes the benefit of improved computer vision and AI. Using advanced object recognition from images and videos, these tiny gadgets can distinguish between a fallen leaf and a plastic wrapper.
The best real-world example of using such technology in waste management can be found in Singapore. Researchers in Singapore developed an AI-enabled robot called Clearbot Neo which moves along the water surface of lakes, rivers, and ponds to identify and collect plastic debris. It uses computer vision and AI to identify plastic. The robot is so effective that it can autonomously collect up to 1 metric ton of waste per day.
AI-assisted waste Sorting & Management
If we can list issues faced in plastic waste management, sorting will be one of the top challenges. Currently, traditional waste management facilities employ people to sort waste into different categories. These facilities lack the option of scalability, particularly because of the cost and manpower requirement. Another challenge is the error in sorting out the type of plastic waste not suitable for recycling. All these challenges make it difficult to sort and efficiently manage plastic waste.
AI can completely transform the way we manage plastic waste. With advanced robotics, computer vision, and AI-assisted sorting, we can achieve clarity in this chaos. When AI-assisted waste management is deployed, high-resolution cameras analyze each and every waste material arriving for sorting. With sophisticated sensor technology, even the type of plastic, its current nature, and suitability for recycling can be estimated and sorted. These systems will reduce the exposure of humans to toxic and unhealthy waste management procedures, at the same time significantly improving recycling efficiency and reducing plastic ending up in landfills. Recycleye, a recycling company from the UK, is using AI and robotics to achieve high accuracy in sorting waste in their facilities. Tomra, a Norwegian company, is also leading the research and development of sensor-based sorting for various recyclables including plastics.
Internet of Things (IoT) in waste management
AI can help optimize existing recycling and waste management infrastructure to reduce the load on recycling plants. AI-enabled waste collecting can enable sorting at source approach. This method enables sorting to start from the very beginning of waste generation and collection. Enabling the current smart waste collection systems like water bottle collection kiosks with AI will make sorting much more efficient and reduce plastic waste ending up in landfills.
Some of the best real-world examples are Bin-e, a Taiwanese company that creates smart bins with AI sorting and real-time level monitoring and Finnish company Neste which uses advanced analytics to optimize plastic waste collection and recycling in collaboration with cities.
AI-Assisted Research on New Disposal Methods
Plastic disposal is a complex puzzle in the hands of scientists because of the time it takes to decompose. Plastics can sometimes take 500 years to decompose. It is because of the mismatch between the chemical bond of plastic and the molecular bond of organic matter. Scientists have been working on various alternative disposal methods than landfilling or incineration, both not harmful to ecology.
Even though these researches are leading to a positive outcome, the time taken for each research is long. The long duration to test a hypothesis via experiments is not helping us in the fight against plastic waste. This is where AI can help our brilliant minds. AI can simultaneously check various chemical compositions, enzymes, procedures, and processes to better dispose of plastic waste. For example, the French company Carbios is developing enzymatic depolymerization to break down PET plastic into original monomers. AI can greatly contribute to such chemical recycling methods by conducting multiple experiments and simulations to understand the effectiveness of each chemical process.
AI-Assisted Packaging Design Innovations
AI can help us to cut off plastic from the supply chain from the origins of product packaging. Most plastic reaches the hands of consumers and subsequently in the trash through packaging materials of various goods. Take for example a shoe purchased from Amazon. The original package will have plastic inside of it for the safekeeping of the commodity during the shipping process, on top of that Amazon or the dealer will add another layer of plastic protection for packaging and handling. AI can help manufacturers, suppliers, and shipping companies design better packages that have a low carbon footprint and plastic usage. For example, companies like Amazon and L’Oréal are using AI to design packaging that minimizes plastic waste. By analyzing consumer feedback and estimating the performance of new packaging designs, AI helps reduce shipping damage and excess packaging.
The above are just the selected 5 top trends in using AI in the fight to eliminate plastic from our ecosystem. There is more research happening right now to shape a new future which replaces plastic with alternative solutions for packaging, shipping, and other utilities, and AI is a great aid to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this research. If you
AI is not only helping fight plastic pollution but also impacting all forms of business processes. If you are interested in knowing more about how AI is helping various fields of science, business, governance and more, please visit the Airtics blog home page.
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