Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) and a consortium of businesses have unveiled BINgo, a smart bin whose prototypes will be initially deployed in three places, including AMK Hub, NEX, and FairPrice Hub and will there until 20 October 2023. BINgo uses artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart sensors to help fix the wrong way Singaporeans recycle and the low number of people who recycle.
“The use of innovative manufacturing and artificial intelligence technologies in the development of BINgo will make it easier to identify recyclables and improve the efficiency of waste collection and sorting using automation,” says David Low, Executive Director of A*STAR’s SIMTech.
He also said that A*STAR is excited to co-innovate this solution and start this important pilot, which will help people in Singapore understand how important it is to recycle correctly and will try to increase the number of people who recycle.
BINgo wants to encourage people to recycle and increase the number of people who recycle by using smart sensors and AI-enabled automated sorting technology to improve the collection of recyclables like metal cans, glass, paper, and plastic packaging.
This means that when the trash is put into the machine, it can tell if the waste is recyclable or not and if it has any contaminants that might make it unsuitable for recycling, like leftover liquid and pearls in a half-empty bubble teacup.
As the user puts trash into the machine, the machine’s interface teaches them useful information about recycling.
In accordance with its commitment to promoting a circular and low-carbon economy, a group of businesses strives to develop reduce, reuse, and recycle programmes to avoid the usage of unneeded materials and the quantity of trash generated, particularly packaging.
A sustainability fund supported the development of BINgo, which was led by A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech). The Sustainability Fund, which was established in 2019, intends to address sustainability and environmental concerns by increasing awareness, promoting creative ideas and projects, and establishing strategic partnerships.
SIMTech offered its knowledge in manufacturing technologies and product design and included AI, IoT, and smart sensor technologies in the prototypes to enable BINgo to sort recyclables autonomously.
With an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide and a user-friendly interface, BINgo is full of interactive and educational features that help shoppers tell the difference between recyclables and things that can’t be recycled. This lets them recycle more and do it right.
This design makes things work better and makes it easier to collect things, which makes things better for users. Also, the data on the waste that is collected over time will make it easier to tell which items can be recycled and make it easier to use statistics to better manage waste.
In addition, the group of companies has led other green plans, such as the “No Plastic Bag” plan, which requires supermarkets to charge for plastic bags. It also works to reduce food waste with a framework for waste reduction and is the pioneer partner for the BCA Green Mark Portfolio Programme.
Green Mark certification has been given to more than 40 stores. Two of its stores in Zhongshan Park and Kallang Wave Mall won platinum awards.
