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Spring 2024 Hackathon:�Improved Recycling

By: Isaac Schatia

Assistance From: Joshua Macomber

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Issues With Current Recycling

Global and Societal Issues
Complacent Communities Aren’t Adequate
Current Solutions Are Expensive

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Solution With Machine Learning

Sorting recycling and trash can be seen as a classification problem.
Use both computer vision and machine learning combined with a sorting machine.

Sorting recycling and trash can be seen as a classification problem.

- For those who don’t know classification is a type of machine learning where the model tries to predict the correct label of a given input. In this case the input is some form of waste, and the model decides if it should go in the trash or recycling.

Use both computer vision and machine learning combined with a sorting machine.

- As shown on the right technology like this already exists for sorting things like tomatoes. The machine for tomatoes has a camera which captures an object which gets passed to an algorithm to decide if it’s a red tomato, a green tomato, or something else like a piece of dirt.

- Based on the observation the sorting machine can knock the green tomatoes to the side.

- Instead of having an algorithm focused on the color of an object, machine learning could be used to decide whether something should be trashed of recycled.

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Recycling Is More Complex Than Tomatoes

It’s more complex than a simple binary problem. Recycling has many different categories.
This complexity can be handled with machine learning.

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Progress Exists But More Can Be Done

Current solutions aren’t commonplace.
Build a sorter into simpler and cheaper recycling stations.

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Thank You For Your Time