Despite enhanced awareness of the environmental challenges the world is facing today and the numerous measures that governments around the globe have been implementing in recent years to curb the negative effects of human activity on the planet, climate change, and all the devastating consequences it brings along show no signs of slowing down.
In the face of such an alarming situation, there’s only one thing that can be done: everyone from businesses to government institutions and key decision makers have to join forces and step up environmental action before it’s too late. This shines a spotlight on the waste and recycling sector which represents a main area of focus in achieving sustainability objectives and paving the pathway towards a safer and healthier future.
Improving recycling practices and performance at a global level can have a major positive impact in this respect, preventing valuable resources from ending up in landfills and reducing the demand for new raw materials. By maximising the use of existing supplies, we can decelerate the depletion of non-renewable resources and lessen the disruption of natural ecosystems, which will ultimately lead to lower pollution rates.
This calls for major improvements in waste management and recycling space, which can only come from the tech front. Fortunately, new trends and developments in recycling technology are constantly emerging, promising to complement present methods and solutions.
Next-gen recycled materials
A lot of the advances in recycling technology are coming from one area in particular – that of recycled materials. Glass bottles, beverage cans, cardboard boxes, and magazines are probably the first things that come to mind when recycled materials are mentioned since these are the most common products created from waste materials. But nowadays, a new generation of recycled materials is emerging, giving way to a much broader range of sustainably produced items.
- Recycled bricks – standard bricks are a prevalent construction material typically made from concrete, burnt clay, or a mixture of sand and lime. By comparison, the newly emerged eco-bricks are made of plastic bottles combined with other types of plastic waste, being much kinder to the environment. Apart from having a lower carbon footprint than their conventional counterparts, helping reduce the amount of plastic that goes to landfill, recycled bricks also have superior thermal performance due to the insulating properties of plastic.
- Bio-based concrete – at first glance, bio-concrete looks identical to the typical polished concrete, but that’s just a deceiving impression. Once you dig a little deeper, you come to realise that the two types of construction materials couldn’t be any more different. Bio-concrete is based on a ground-breaking blend of recycled matter and non-toxic biomaterials such as sugar and agar, which act as binders. This results in a highly innovative and sustainable alternative that combines the sturdiness of plastic with the visual appeal of terrazzo texture.
- Plastic roads – road construction implies the use of high volumes of raw materials, which is not exactly beneficial for the planet. But all that could change in the future with the increasingly widespread construction of plastic roads. These combine recycled plastic waste with other paving materials, and so far, studies indicate that this innovative pavement type could perform just as well or even better than conventional roads.
- Plant-based wall cladding – this novel wall finishing material is based on organic waste, which is widely available and commonly used to produce fuels and other types of products. It can replace ceramic wall cladding or other composite materials typically used in construction that score lower in terms of sustainability.
Chemical recycling
Chemical recycling is an umbrella term that refers to different recovery technologies and processes designed to break down plastic waste into secondary raw materials that can be used to create new plastics and other products. This can involve procedures like pyrolysis, gasification, solvolysis, and other techniques that change the chemical structure of polymeric waste, removing the additives from the composition without affecting the quality of the original substances. Therefore, the end products can be used as raw materials, suitable for high-value applications, reducing the consumption of virgin raw materials.
Smart bins
Smart bins are changing the game in the recycling industry by cutting down the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills. These high-tech bins are equipped with sensors, providing connectivity features and data analytics to facilitate the recycling process. By monitoring and identifying the types of waste materials they collect and classifying them appropriately, smart bins enhance the accuracy and efficiency of waste sorting and reduce contamination. Alongside other standard recycling solutions like Mil-tek balers and compactors, smart bins can increase recycling rates considerably.
Biodegradable plastics
One of the biggest issues with the widespread use of plastics is their non-biodegradable nature. Conventional plastics such as polyethene, polypropylene, and polystyrene don’t decompose in the same way organic materials do, so they cannot be absorbed by the natural environment.
AI integration
AI technology is making its way into nearly every industry and sector, and recycling is an area that can benefit considerably from leveraging AI capabilities. AI applications in waste management and recycling focus mostly on the sorting process, where AI-based solutions can improve the speed and precision of waste separation.
AI-enhanced sensors can be fitted onto different waste sorting devices and equipment, allowing recycling facilities to improve segregation for the ever-increasing amounts of various waste types they have to handle. The use of robotics and machine learning to automate sorting systems can revolutionise waste management on a large scale and make it easier for everyone to adhere to sustainability standards.
Biodegradable plastic production addresses this problem as these types of plastics can be broken down through natural processes. Replacing traditional plastics with bioplastics could one day eliminate the physical plastic pollution from the environment.
With sustainability becoming a major point of concern nowadays, we can expect to see a lot more innovation and tech advances in the waste management and recycling space in the near future.
