AI to the rescue of waste management!
One of the biggest problems which we are facing in the current world is waste management. By looking at the current statistics, global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050. Many states have started thinking of how to recycle this much amount of waste as of now. Researchers, with their scientific studies, have proven that non-degradable items can be recycled in many ways.
One of the major problems faced by these recycling firms is the segregation of waste into degradable and non-degradable. Humankind has made huge advancements in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which plays a major role in solving complex problems and are making a huge impact on society. It is about time that we start thinking of using these technologies in the said field. One possibility for such an application is to build an underwater waste monitoring system, which helps in identifying spots where wastes accumulated. Another possible application is to make use of robotics and deep learning techniques in the identification and segregation of waste, which should drastically reduce human labor which in turn can be used for more skilled jobs. This also helps reduce the spreading of disease, the pollution caused by careless handling of these wastes, and the time taken for segregation. The average amount of waste generated by a person is around 0.74 kilograms per day. This can range from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms. If technology can make the speed of recycling faster then we can save our nature at the earliest. If we take a step back to five years ago, it would be almost impossible to believe that there are AI-powered smart recycling equipment’s which are capable of thinking by themselves and sort the waste using its sensors. But the other side of the same coin is that things are getting worse day by day as people are dumping waste wherever possible. A proper segregation system seems to be the most important need of the hour. Humans have made intelligent systems for medical help, driving cars, fire prevention, etc. Capturing an image and identifying the objects in it is a cakewalk for machines now. Making a system which can identify clusters of similar things can help people to identify the areas in which biodegradable and the ones in which non-biodegradable wastes are present. The creation of such a system which can identify and segregate waste by itself can be a major breakthrough in the field of technology.
