In Canada, a new and high-tech recycling system called Oscar is making waves in federal government buildings. Created by B.C-based start-up Intuitive AI, Oscar uses artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize waste disposal. The Oscar Sort recycling station looks like a standard office recycling system, but it has a scanner that checks the item someone wants to discard and guides the user to deposit it in the correct bin.
The goal of the Oscar system is to reduce the amount of garbage from government buildings that ends up in landfills. The federal government aims to increase the amount of garbage diverted to recycling from 54.6 percent in 2022/2023 to 75 percent by 2027. In order to achieve this goal, the government has implemented the Oscar system in 10 federal government buildings in the National Capital region.
The founders of Intuitive AI, Hassan Murad and Vivek Vyas, were inspired to create Oscar after witnessing the problem of waste and recyclables polluting land and waterways. The two co-founders, who met while studying robotics at Simon Fraser University, decided to use AI to tackle this issue. “We saw that a lot of this waste was ending up in landfills or illegally being shipped and ending up in oceans,” said Murad.
Hundreds of Oscar Sort systems are now located in 20 countries, according to Murad. The system can be programmed for each client and location, taking into account different recycling streams. For example, in the National Capital region, Quebec and Ontario have different recycling systems, so the Oscar stations in federal government buildings are programmed accordingly.
What sets Oscar apart is its use of AI. Users simply show the object they want to dispose of to the scanner, and the system tells them which bin it should go in. The more the system is used, the more it learns which objects belong in which bin. Oscar stations can even be programmed to give users rewards for correct disposals or to provide educational trivia games for a more engaging experience.
The Oscar stations at Global Affairs have seen an increase in usage each month, with one station seeing 15,000 disposals in October alone. Not only does the system encourage proper waste disposal, but it also provides valuable data to the government. Through analyzing the data, officials can identify areas where recycling contamination occurs and target messaging to improve waste streams.
The success of the Oscar system has led to interest from other organizations. Government officials have reported receiving calls from organizations curious about the technology and eager to implement it. “There are quite a few cases where you’re starting to see new Oscar units around town as people start to learn about this technology,” said Soren Antosz, an official from Global Affairs.
The Oscar system is a prime example of how AI can be utilized to drive positive change and transform waste disposal practices. By combining technology and user engagement, the system nudges individuals towards a greener future, one correct disposal at a time.
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