Waste management is significant for curbing climate change as it reduces greenhouse emissions from landfills. Automation and circular economy represent the future of waste management. Robotic sorting, AI, ML, and IoT-powered waste collection or disposal are gaining prominence due to speed and efficiency. With progressing monitoring systems, more and more waste data is available for analysis. Further, businesses are inclined toward turning waste into energy and other usable products or raw materials to ensure circularity and sustainability.

Waste Management Innovation Trends

Artificial Intelligence

Managing waste is a multi-step process that involves scheduling pickup, trucking, and sorting. Dealing with enormous quantities of waste makes the process cumbersome. Integrating AI into workflows automates waste management and improves operational efficiency. For example, startups offer AI-based solutions that determine the optimal route for garbage trucks, saving fuel costs and traffic delays. Additionally, AI-driven autonomous garbage trucks reduce the risk of occupational injuries to drivers. Computer vision and machine learning (ML) algorithms also facilitate smart sorting by distinguishing between different types and sizes of waste materials. This increases the accuracy and speed of sorting, especially for plastic recycling companies. Lastly, AI-based platforms maintain safe operations by constantly monitoring operating conditions in hazardous waste facilities.

FloVision Solutions aids Food Waste Reduction

US-based startup FloVision Solutions incorporates machine vision in waste bins to capture food waste. The type and price of food wasted are identified using machine learning algorithms. This data is then analyzed on the proprietary dashboard, FloVision Analytics, to provide customized recommendations to users. It also forecasts the demand to prevent the overproduction of items. This way, the startup allows cafeterias and restaurants to reduce their food waste and costs.

Arcubed makes an Automated Recycling Bin

New Zealand-based startup Arcubed develops OneBin, an automated recycling bin. When it detects an item, the bin automatically segregates the waste into the aforementioned categories using AI and machine vision. This ensures the recycling of all eligible items, with less waste ending in landfills. Moreover, the two-compartment bins incorporate fill-level sensors to view their current capacity status and ensure on-time waste collection.

Robotics

Manual waste sorting is a time-consuming process and human inefficiencies increase the amount of trash ending up in landfills. That is why waste management facilities are using robotics to overcome this challenge. Industrial robots, along with sensors, computer vision, and AI, are automating waste segregation practices, ensuring material-specific disposal. Robotic arms work faster and lift heavier objects as compared to human counterparts as well as pick plastics from beaches and oceans. Further, drones monitor the landfills to detect any toxin or radiation leakage. They also monitor carbon emissions and pollution levels around landfills to enable proactive litter management.

Angsa Robotics develops an Autonomous Trash Picking Robot

German startup Angsa Robotics makes an autonomous trash-picking robot. Using AI and machine vision, the robot identifies and automatically picks up trash like cigarette butts, bottle caps, or plastic scraps in parks. It also utilizes sensors to avoid collisions during autonomous navigation. Further, analysis of the field data allows users to identify an optimum location for placing trash cans. The robot also reduces the time spent by cleaning personnel so that they focus on other demanding tasks.

Clearbot drives Ocean Waste Collection

Chinese startup Clearbot builds robots for ocean waste collection. The startup’s robots use AI and machine vision to identify plastics in the water. Backed by solar power, they navigate autonomously and collect waste on identification. To strengthen their AI, the robots collect images of trash on the beach for more accurate identification. This allows governments and companies to minimize manual intervention in plastic waste removal from water bodies.

Internet of Things

Conventional waste collection methods have predefined routes and schedules. As a result, garbage collecting trucks often empty the waste bins either when they are still empty or start overflowing before they are emptied. IoT-based waste management facilitates waste bin tracking in real-time. This facilitates timely waste collection and disposal without overflowing dumpsters. IoT-based temperature sensors monitor the temperatures of dumpsters to prevent explosions and fire. Moreover, RFID tags used in garbage trucks allow tracking of the location of these vehicles. This provides companies with highly relevant data that enables better decision-making and plan optimization.

Sensorita advances Data-Driven Waste Management

Norwegian startup Sensorita develops IoT-enabled sensors for waste containers. The sensors use machine learning to provide users with data-driven insights into their container fleet. This allows waste management companies to cut costs and ensure efficient asset utilization. The sensors also enable them to reduce carbon emissions for sustainable waste management.

IoTank facilitates Wastewater Maintenance

US-based startup IoTank provides a septic monitoring solution for wastewater maintenance. The startup’s sensors measure levels of sludge, scum, effluents, and solids in wastewater. They also indicate real-time wastewater levels in onsite tanks. The startup’s cloud-based platform analyzes the data to showcase tank risks and prevent wastewater treatment failures. This way, it enables predictive maintenance of wastewater tanks and prevents the spread of diseases.

Circular Economy

The circular economy ensures minimum waste by reusing and repurposing existing products into new raw materials or products. This allows optimal utilization of materials instead of discarding them before end-of-life. Now companies design products that have multiple lifecycles instead of the take-make-dispose approach. They reuse their production waste to create new products. Further, waste-to-energy plants process solid waste to produce steam for electricity generation. Brands also implement sustainable packaging by sourcing eco-friendly materials for a minimal environmental impact.

Vytal offers Packaging-as-a-Service

German startup Vytal offers reusable packaging containers. Users borrow their packaging containers when required and return them after use. The startup then cleans them and puts them into use again, thereby preventing the accumulation of disposable waste.

switcH2 aids Wastewater to Hydrogen Conversion

Australian startup switcH2 develops a waste-to-energy electrolysis technology. The startup’s electrolyzer consists of catalysts that break down organic waste from breweries to generate hydrogen. Hydrogen provides a clean fuel to generate electricity or power trucks and machines. This way, the startup ensures circularity in the organic waste supply chain.

Advanced Recycling

Waste management facilities are integrating advanced recycling solutions like material scanners, autonomous waste picking systems, and more to improve operational efficiency. Such solutions increase waste stream quality and allow recyclers to recover more materials through mechanical recycling. Further, innovations in chemical recycling enable them to recycle materials without losing quality. This eliminates the need for virgin materials, advances the circular economy, and offers higher economic value to recovered materials. Lastly, many waste management companies use end-to-end automation process automation to streamline waste processing, increasing profits.

Urbeno advances Electronic Waste Recycling

Indian startup Urbeno recycles electronic waste. The startup develops a shredding system that processes e-scarp to make it easier for recycling. It repurposes electronic equipment to prevent environmental pollution caused by e-waste. Besides offering insights on cost optimization, the startup also allows companies to control their reverse electronic supply chain for better e-waste management.

Blue Green Vision creates Optical Waste Sorters

UK-based startup Blue Green Vision makes optical sorters for plastic recycling. Its optical sorter features a hyperspectral camera that uses infrared light to differentiate between different plastic types like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and more. It separates the different types for efficient recycling. Being automatic, the camera enables the sorting of large volumes of waste in less time. This way, the startup addresses plastic recycling challenges that arise due to the difficulty in categorizing plastic waste.

Big Data & Analytics

Waste management is a multifarious process where the implementation of big data and analytics advances operational efficiencies. The data from the smart bin sensors provides insights into the frequency of bin emptying based on the location. This allows waste collecting companies to identify the type of waste based on specific locations and ensure timely waste collection. Further, big data allows companies to calculate and manage their carbon emissions from their existing waste management practices.

GEPP provides a Waste Management Information Platform

Thai startup GEPP makes a cloud-based digital waste management information platform. It analyzes waste data of companies to track if materials are recycled or not. The platform calculates greenhouse gas emissions to enable a data-driven reduction approach. It also offers training on how to properly dispose of internal waste or waste due to organizational events. This way, the startup ensures proper waste disposal and recycling, diverting garbage away from landfills.

Wastelink aids Food Waste Upcycling

Indian startup Wastelink converts food waste from manufacturers and retailers into animal feed. The startup purchases food surplus and rejects from harvest, sales returns, pre-production, baking, and more. This waste is then converted into feed ingredients for animals and livestock. Its food waste management platform also offers end-to-end tracking of food waste processing to improve transparency. The startup’s upcycling solution thus eliminates food waste and reduces the carbon footprint of manufacturers and retailers.

Decomposition Technologies

Decomposition technologies utilize natural mechanisms to break down organic materials into useful products. Controlled decomposition or composting breaks down organic waste into simpler forms using bacteria or fungi. The resulting compost enriches the soil with beneficial nutrients and prevents soil erosion. Startups deploy composting to reduce the amount of food being thrown away. There is also a shift to compostable bio-based plastics to reduce plastic pollution. Additionally, several innovative compostable materials have come up that lead to zero waste. This ensures organic matter reuse, thereby reducing the amount of solid waste ending up in landfills.

Envirobe advances PET Recycling

US-based startup Envirobe creates plastic-degrading microorganisms. They break down PET plastic commonly found in packaging, water bottles, and other waste. The PET waste decomposes into constituent monomers, ethylene glycol, and terephthalic acid that find use in plastic remanufacturing. This way, the startup ensures circularity in plastic production and consumption.

Monty Compost enables Compost Monitoring

Australian startup Monty Compost develops Monty Monitor, a compost monitoring device. It features environmental sensors that continuously trace the decomposition data like soil temperature, humidity, and volatile organic compounds. This startup’s mobile app then analyses this data to track compost health and offer insights on how to improve the decomposing process.

Blockchain

Blockchain enables responsible waste management by bringing transparency and traceability to the value chain. Waste tracking also enables compatibility with environmental regulations. This allows waste management facilities to divert more waste away from landfills. Moreover, blockchain verifies waste management information at each step. For example, a company delivering waste to a carrier puts all the information in a digital document validated by the carrier. It makes it easier for the final waste recipient to confirm they have received the waste and ensures the security of transactions.

Greenback Recycling Technologies provides Plastics Traceability

UK-based startup Greenback Recycling Technologies recycles post-consumer plastic waste into food-grade packaging. Its platform, eco2Veritas, uses blockchain to trace the origin of plastic packaging waste. The platform looks for evidence in the form of camera images, waste analysis, smart contracts, and more to certify the composition of the plastic. It then deploys microwave-based chemical recycling to produce feedstock that converts qualified plastic waste into new food-grade packaging. Besides circularity, the startup ensures transparency and quality in plastic waste treatment.

Recereum offers Recycling Incentives

UK-based startup Recereum develops a blockchain-based platform that converts waste into real value via discount coins. Users earn Recereum coins for disposing of glass, plastic, aluminum bottles, or old batteries and for waste sorting. Using these coins, users avail of discounts on electricity bills, gas, and consumer goods, among others. This encourages users to sort waste properly, ensuring more waste is recycled.