Tanner Cook
IxDD 2020: North America
In the United States, only 16% of recyclable material is recovered. While there are many issues with recycling, one of the most challenging is the confusion surrounding whether an item is recyclable or not. When people have to guess which bin their article goes into, it is undoubtedly not always their fault. Signage is inconsistent and often wrong, recycling rules vary by location, education is varied, and anything can be garbage. But that ill-informed split-second decision and interaction with those bins cause trillions of dollars in damage to the economy and the environment.CleanRobotics is going to discuss how the current design of trash cans contributes to our poor recycling rates and the design challenges surrounding making useful trash cans. They’re also going to talk about an impactful and unique solution, TrashBot, that solves the core problems surrounding recycling confusion, contamination, and education by using robotics, AI, design, and software.
