If this makes it easier and faster to sort garbage, we could probably improve the efficiency of recycling 100x. I know there are some places that do that already, but there are so many menial tasks that could be done by robots to improve the world.
There are plenty of places [1] where garbage is sorted for free by poor people who scrape a living from recycling it.
Sorting garbage is a terrible job for humans, but it's a terrible one for robots too. Those fancy mechanical actuators etc are not going to stand up well to garbage that's regularly saturated with liquids, oil, grease, vomit, feces, dead animals, etc.
are you implying that society shouldn't aim to reduce human interaction with vomit, feces, and dead animals? Robotics in harsh environments isn't unheard of
Haha I just came up with that off the hip (never heard of, seen, or even contemplated sorting garbage before) because the idea that this needs articulation and graspers is the height of "we're VC funded and don't care about anything except runway". Laughable.
Yeah, maybe someone with more industry knowledge can give a better picture, but I have a hard time seeing how these robots would fit into and improve existing processes [0]. Garbage is mechanically sorted most of the way already; then IR is used to identify different plastics and air blasts are used to separate them out at dozens per second.
The Gemini robot tech is cool as heck, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't seem particularly well suited to industrial automation.
I doubt anyone would use this kind of fancy machine to garbage handling until they become a commodity. I would bet that the first application would be to send those robots to trenches and foxholes...
Well, it's actually good to have that kind of marketing. First, because there are people that don't care anyway and keep mixing things. So, robots can be useful just the same.
And for the ones that actually follow the marketing, it's a good incentive to try to reduce the usage of one use plastics and packages in general. Recycling is the last of the 3 Rs for a reason.
Most folks when they think of recycling, think of the blue bin they put out every week.
That’s about 25% by weight of all that gets recycled in the country.
Metals, industrial scrap, and other sources are 75% of what gets recycled in the US.
We are blue collar businesses, with high labor costs. Many are exploring robotics actively for repetitive tasks. We have some robots in our process, looking for more when the ROI makes sense.
It may not be 100x, but there will be value in robots in recycling.
Big corporations definitely care about recycling. Sustainability is a major issue for them, not for marketing and such, but because they're thinking 50 years down the line. If they can't keep making xPhones then, they'll need to find a new product or invade a country, and both of these things need to be planned decades in advance. If recycling is a gimmick, it's more to stakeholders than consumers.
Plastic recycling, as commonly understood and promoted, is largely a myth. While technically possible, the reality of plastic recycling falls far short of public perception and industry claims.
# The Reality of Plastic Recycling:
- Low recycling rates: Only 9% of all plastic worldwide is actually recycled[1][2]. In the United States, the recycling rate for plastic waste is even lower, at just 5-6%[5].
- Limited recyclability: Most types of single-use plastic cannot be recycled in the United States. Only plastic #1 and #2 bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable[1].
- Downcycling: The majority of recycled plastic is of inferior quality, resulting in downcycling rather than true recycling[2].
- Economic challenges: Recycling plastic is often not economically viable compared to producing new plastic[4].
# Industry Deception:
The myth of plastic recycling has been perpetuated by the plastic and oil industries for decades:
- Misleading labeling: The Resin Identification Codes (RICs) on plastic products were created by the industry to give the impression of a vast and viable recycling system[3].
- Disinformation campaigns: The fossil fuel industry has benefited financially from promoting the idea that plastic could be recycled, despite knowing since 1974 that it was not economically viable for most plastics[3].
- Lack of commitment: In 1994, an Exxon chemical executive stated, "We are committed to the activities, but not committed to the results," regarding industry support for plastics recycling[5].
#Environmental and Health Impacts
- Pollution: Most plastic items labeled as recyclable often end up in landfills, incinerators, or polluting the environment[1].
- Health hazards: Plastic waste contamination affects soil, water, and air quality, potentially impacting human health[4].
Conclusion
The concept of widespread plastic recycling is largely a myth propagated by the plastic industry to distract from the real issues of plastic pollution and to avoid regulation. While some plastic can be recycled, the current system is far from effective or sustainable. To address the plastic crisis, focus needs to shift from recycling to reducing plastic production and consumption.
decimalenough|11 months ago
Sorting garbage is a terrible job for humans, but it's a terrible one for robots too. Those fancy mechanical actuators etc are not going to stand up well to garbage that's regularly saturated with liquids, oil, grease, vomit, feces, dead animals, etc.
[1] https://loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=96-P13-00022&s...
tkzed49|11 months ago
dyauspitr|11 months ago
xyst|11 months ago
Just had cameras, visual detection, some compressed air nozzles, and millisecond (nanosecond?) reaction time to separate the non-recyclable materials.
omneity|11 months ago
LargoLasskhyfv|11 months ago
Lead to nothing. At least not at the time. AFAIK the initial garbage stream is still manually inspected and separated at most sites.
And the people doing that have a much higher risk of getting sick, because of all sorts of bacteria, mold, spores, chemicals, VOC, whatever.
Not to mention the stink.
genewitch|11 months ago
hakaneskici|11 months ago
bamboozled|11 months ago
shw1n|11 months ago
They used AI to identify and sort
One issue was just the sheer muck of trash, if someone dropped an open smoothie, all sorts of sensors got covered, etc
Really cool idea I thought though
recycledmatt|11 months ago
dchristian|11 months ago
stefan_|11 months ago
appleorchard46|11 months ago
The Gemini robot tech is cool as heck, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't seem particularly well suited to industrial automation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUrBBBs7yzQ
lallysingh|11 months ago
thatsallfolkss|11 months ago
piokoch|11 months ago
XorNot|11 months ago
You can just send explosives into both those things, and it's cheaper and more effective.
jackcosgrove|11 months ago
sand500|11 months ago
https://youtu.be/YyXCMhnb_lU?si=zJsQn2m8Fu5ccV6n
numba888|11 months ago
yread|11 months ago
mannycalavera42|11 months ago
the13|11 months ago
[deleted]
mbrumlow|11 months ago
This is because if it becomes easy then it won’t matter and all the marketing, non profit orgs and everything goes away, making it a non problem.
While I am sure you will find people who will like these ideas and want them, they will have zero control.
At this point recycling is a marketing thing. And it’s more important that people think about the cause than solve the problem.
darkwater|11 months ago
recycledmatt|11 months ago
That’s about 25% by weight of all that gets recycled in the country.
Metals, industrial scrap, and other sources are 75% of what gets recycled in the US.
We are blue collar businesses, with high labor costs. Many are exploring robotics actively for repetitive tasks. We have some robots in our process, looking for more when the ROI makes sense.
It may not be 100x, but there will be value in robots in recycling.
daralthus|11 months ago
[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET_bottle_recycling)
muzani|11 months ago
Xmd5a|11 months ago
# The Reality of Plastic Recycling:
- Low recycling rates: Only 9% of all plastic worldwide is actually recycled[1][2]. In the United States, the recycling rate for plastic waste is even lower, at just 5-6%[5].
- Limited recyclability: Most types of single-use plastic cannot be recycled in the United States. Only plastic #1 and #2 bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable[1].
- Downcycling: The majority of recycled plastic is of inferior quality, resulting in downcycling rather than true recycling[2].
- Economic challenges: Recycling plastic is often not economically viable compared to producing new plastic[4].
# Industry Deception:
The myth of plastic recycling has been perpetuated by the plastic and oil industries for decades:
- Misleading labeling: The Resin Identification Codes (RICs) on plastic products were created by the industry to give the impression of a vast and viable recycling system[3].
- Disinformation campaigns: The fossil fuel industry has benefited financially from promoting the idea that plastic could be recycled, despite knowing since 1974 that it was not economically viable for most plastics[3].
- Lack of commitment: In 1994, an Exxon chemical executive stated, "We are committed to the activities, but not committed to the results," regarding industry support for plastics recycling[5].
#Environmental and Health Impacts
- Pollution: Most plastic items labeled as recyclable often end up in landfills, incinerators, or polluting the environment[1].
- Health hazards: Plastic waste contamination affects soil, water, and air quality, potentially impacting human health[4].
Conclusion
The concept of widespread plastic recycling is largely a myth propagated by the plastic industry to distract from the real issues of plastic pollution and to avoid regulation. While some plastic can be recycled, the current system is far from effective or sustainable. To address the plastic crisis, focus needs to shift from recycling to reducing plastic production and consumption.
[1] https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/the-myth-of-single-use-plasti...
[2] https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/nl/blog/recycling-myth
[3] https://www.earthday.org/plastic-recycling-is-a-lie/
[4] https://kosmorebi.com/en/plastique-le-mythe-du-recyclage/
[5] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-plastic-industry-knowi...