The UK recycling rate is 44%. Contamination of non-recyclable materials and unwashed recycling leads to this number being low. Technology is a great way to separate objects, already being done with near-infrared spectroscopy, how can we improve this? The stage at which this gets used is late in the process, way after all contamination problems have occurred. We propose to place this as soon as people throw away their rubbish. Using machine learning and image recognition technology to sort waste locally after people throw away their waste in one bin that would be separated in a community separator. This could then be recycled back into the community. The opportunity for this could depend on the communities needs and desires. We focussed on creating objects to welcome refugees into a new community. The system would also collect data to inform a better recycling system. We focussed on creating objects to welcome refugees into a new community.
This could result in not only a higher successful recycling rate but enriched communities through what they were throwing away already. Less energy is also put into sending our waste to other countries to get recycled. This model could be picked up and placed anywhere in the world. So, the issues that it solves through the products it creates could be really dependent on community and the part of the world it’s placed in.