Can AI Help Cut Plastic Waste From the Food System?

Michigan cities are using AI to identify non-recyclable items in household recycling bins and then send the geotagged photo on a postcard to the homeowner with recycling tips. Over a 24-week period in East Lansing, more than 5,000 postcards were mailed and recycling stream contamination decreased by more than a fifth.

An artificial intelligence model developed by researchers at Standford University analyzes aerial photographs to detect fields with manure illegally spread on them in the winter. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources can use that information to manually check fields for compliance with regulations that are meant to prevent water contamination.

Clean Ocean Sailing is a volunteer-based organization that boats to largely inaccessible parts of Cornwall’s coasts to pull plastic pollution out of the ocean and off the beaches using kayaks, rowboats, and physical labor.

Farmers are transitioning to precision agriculture to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The practice uses technology like artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and soil probes to collect and analyze data so farmers know how to manage specific parts of their fields.

Artificial intelligence tools are helping the solar energy company Solstice better serve community solar subscribers and make projects more inclusive for low-income households. The tools use data to predict when subscribers might be facing problems that will likely lead to them leaving the project, such as delays or billing confusion, and vet subscribers based on whether they are likely to pay their bills instead of using their credit scores.

The California-based tech startup Shinkei is combining artificial intelligence with an ancient Japanese method called Ike Jime to kill fish quickly with less pain. Alongside improved fish welfare, the method cuts down waste by keeping the fish fresher for longer.

Recycle Pay encourages residents of Uganda to collect plastic waste by awarding them points that can be redeemed for cash, healthcare credits, or school fees. The whole process is organized on an app.

The RETI Center, an environmental justice nonprofit, is growing kelp in Booklyns incredibly polluted Gowanus Canal in an effort to remove pollutants from the water and restore the ecosystem. It plans to eventually sell carbon capture credits and sell the kelp to make products like more sustainable cement.

A startup in Germany created an online platform, Cirplus, that connects recycling companies with manufacturers and distributors in the plastic industry. The site encourages the move towards a circular economy by improving transparency for buyers and sellers.

Phool, a startup in India, makes a plant-based leather alternative using flower petals discarded from Hindu temples after rituals to feed microbes that grow the material. The product, named Fleather, keeps flower waste from contaminating rivers and is a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to animal leather.