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A platform helps producers track and collect post-consumer products
CategoriesSustainable News

A platform helps producers track and collect post-consumer products

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to the World Bank, each year 4.9 million tons of plastic waste in Indonesia is goes uncollected, is left in open dumpsites, or is leaked from inadequately managed landfills. This ‘wasted waste’ blights neighbourhoods, damages wildlife, and leaches chemicals into the water. To find a solution, Jakarta-based startup Octopus has developed a circular economy platform to collect and dispose of waste. 

Octopus offers two main kinds of service. In one, consumers download an app and book a time slot for waste pickers – called pelestari – to collect their trash. The rubbish is then sold on to recycling businesses.  

The role of waste picker already exists in Indonesia. However, by taking waste directly from consumers instead of sifting through landfills, the pelestari can work in a safer way and earn higher prices. And, because the app formalises their labour, the pickers can build a verifiable employment history, making it easier to open bank accounts and gain access to credit. Octopus also provides a training programme through its app.  

The other part of Octopus’ business model is to provide data on waste collection and recycling to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands that help them meet their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets. Octopus also runs a deposit refund system for larger producers and brands. The startup already has more than 150,000 users and raised $5 million (around €4.7 million) last year, in a funding round led by Openspace and SOSV. 

Plastic waste is a huge concern, so it is no surprise that Springwise has spotted a lot of energy being put towards developing innovative solutions. These range from recycling tyres into green roof panels to using fungi to break down hard-to-recycle plastics.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Using drones to collect environmental DNA 
CategoriesSustainable News

Using drones to collect environmental DNA 

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Living organisms leave behind genetic tracks in the environment – DNA or eDNA. Ecologists then inspect these tracks to catalogue biodiversity, uncovering which species are active in that area. However, while following some organisms is easy, others reside in hard-to-reach areas, often turning research into a cold case. To improve the data collection, researchers at the ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL have developed a drone that can land on tree branches and collect samples.

The aircraft first lands on a branch to gather the sample using a sticky strip. Then, back at the lab, researchers can extract DNA from the adhesive strip and analyse it. Finally, the team will assign genetic matches of the various organisms using database comparisons. 

But all branches are different, with varying elasticity, thickness, and sturdiness and overcoming these issues proved a challenge for the team, as landing on the branches required complex control. To address this, the researchers fitted the drone with a force-sensing cage to enable it to gauge the flexibility of the branch on a case-by-case basis and incorporate this into its landing technique. 

To date, the drone has been tested on seven tree species. But now, the team has been prompted to improve the device in the hopes of winning a competition to detect as many species as possible across 100 hectares of Singaporean forest in 24 hours. 

Springwise has previously spotted other innovative drone technologies, including a drone that can inspect and repair wind turbines, and a startup that revolutionises drone control interface.

Written By: Georgia King

Reference

Autonomous robots collect seafloor litter
CategoriesSustainable News

Autonomous robots collect seafloor litter

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted:  There is an estimated 75 to 119 million tonnes of plastic waste in our oceans today. And while most endeavours to tackle ocean waste have focused on addressing litter floating on the surface, the majority of it is found on the ocean floor.

The underwater environment poses a unique challenge. Traditional methods of cleaning up the ocean floor are both dangerous and expensive, involving human divers who are put at risk every time they descend into the depths. In response, researchers from the EU-funded SeaClear project are developing an AI-based solution for cleaning up the ocean floor without putting human life in danger.

The SeaClear system uses a combination of robotics and machine learning to efficiently locate and remove marine debris. A boat, a drone, two underwater robots, and a collection basket make up the system. The boat functions like a sort of mothership, acting as a communication hub and power source for the robots.

How does it work? The boat marks any large debris encountered on the ocean floor using a type of sonar called a multibeam echosounder. The drones also use sonar to identify large pockets of debris from the air. The underwater robots are then deployed to collect the debris and deposit it in the basket. The whole process is automated, making it much more efficient and effective than traditional methods of marine litter collection.

SeaClear project partner Subsea Tech in France developed the innovative system, which is now being tested in real-world conditions. This new solution has the potential to revolutionise the way we deal with ocean pollution and help to keep our seas clean for future generations.

Other innovations spotted by Springwise that clean up marine litter include okra used to clean up microplastics, a fleet of giant floating barriers tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and a beer company hosting a tournament to fish plastic out of the ocean.

Written By: Katrina Lane

7th July 2022

Website: seaclear-project.eu

Contact: seaclear-project.eu/contact

Reference