{"39616":{"#nid":"39616","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Smart Trash concept could reinvent recycling with a cash incentive","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEnvision a distasteful trip to the curb to take out the trash as a pleasant -- and profitable -- stroll.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome juiceless batteries - those are good for a few cents.  An old keyboard might fetch a couple of bucks.  Even that empty box of Pop-Tarts might be worth something.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENo need to sort these discards: the trashcan has already done it, inventorying all contents and calculating the worth of this waste. Next month\u0027s garbage bill could be accompanied by a check.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Recycling and consumer waste are still managed with 1950s technology,\u0022 said Valerie Thomas, Anderson Interface Associate Professor at Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. \u0022Of course it can\u0027t keep up. The flow of products out of the household needs to be managed with at least as much intelligence as the flow of products into the household. It\u0027s sort of obvious.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is the concept behind \u0022Smart Trash,\u0022 an approach developed by Thomas that has caught the attention of major corporations and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Smart Trash systems not only provide  sustainable and productive ways for discarding items, but also can redefine the relationship people have with their garbage.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are a number of manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and researchers now working to actualize the Smart Trash idea. Project PURE (Promoting Understanding of RFID and the Environment) -- featuring representatives of companies such as Wal-Mart and Hewlett-Packard, as well as recyclers and developers of product codes -- is working to refine this concept and push it toward mainstream reality.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EConsumer recycling is currently fairly simplistic, focusing mostly on paper, aluminum and steel cans and some plastic bottles. For the system to evolve and thrive, it must be expanded to a variety of different products while maintaining ease of use and adding incentives that encourage participation.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022There are advantages on both sides to the consumer and the recycler,\u0022 said Angie Leith, senior policy analyst at the EPA Office of Solid Waste in Washington, D.C.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELeith recruited Thomas to take part in Project PURE, which is funded by the EPA, after being impressed with her research and the promise of Smart Trash. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Valerie understands industrial ecology,\u0022 she said. \u0022If there\u0027s always going to be trash, when it gets to end of life, you should be able to do something with it. Let\u0027s try to do it in a smart way. It really makes sense.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETwo essential elements are involved in making Smart Trash function.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe first is a Universal Product Code (UPC) or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that identifies specific merchandise. A scanner equipped within a trash receptacle would be able to immediately record what is being disposed, allowing consumers to track their trash and determine what pieces are potentially valuable.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe second component is a retrofitted recycling truck or recycling center that can sort trash that can sort recyclables. Valuable items could be sent to auction sites where the proceeds could be sent directly back to consumers. Items with hazardous components could be shunted aside for appropriate management.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA Wi-Fi connection provides the bridge between the trashcan and the recycling service, relaying information that can anticipate and properly organize the contents.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERecyclable items with significant value -- such as consumer electronics -- would be forwarded to online auction services where the maximum value could be actualized. Consumer recycling credits could also be issued for something as insignificant as a frozen pizza box or a shampoo bottle. Any money garnered from this waste could be applied to a consumer\u0027s monthly sanitation bill or sent as a check.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESimple. Sensible. Sustainable.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Just about anything could be recycled in this manner,\u0022 Thomas said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENot everything can be resold for cash, though. Some items in the trashcan -- a banana peel, a used paper towel -- clearly have no resale value.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThose items would be disposed of in a more traditional matter, composted or even potentially be used for fuel.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022There\u0027s no point in having a potato chip bag that\u0027s going to last for thousands of years,\u0022 Thomas said. \u0022I\u0027m not advocating that everything be recycled because at some level it\u0027s way too hard. Every product should either be completely safe to burn, compost, eat or it should be easy to recycle.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas advocates using non-recyclable waste to provide energy via combustion. Burning non\u0026mdash;recyclable disposables in an environmentally friendly manner could provide power for everything from lights to appliances. It also helps resolve any privacy issues that result from the entire contents of a garbage can having a constant inventory. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Depending on the nature of the product, there would be some reasonableness about how much information you would want to keep about something,\u0022 Thomas said. \u0022There\u0027s no reason for people to know how much cereal you eat. That\u0027s another reason most of the packaging should be biodegradable or burnable.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESmart Trash technology provides benefits that go beyond a garbage can.  The system can potentially be used for inventory purposes or to pinpoint products that have been recalled for health and safety reasons.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the ability to scan and determine the value of just about any item in a home, Smart Trash technology could eventually become a sustainable weapon against clutter. Just scan old items taking up space, note the value and send these straight to the recycling bin. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThink of it as a living yard sale.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s such a pain to get rid of things when you don\u0027t want to just throw it away or think you might use it later\u0022 Thomas said. \u0022You could really have your house cleaning itself for you.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Electronics, disposables could be inventoried, sold for cash or credits"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u201cSmart Trash,\u201d\u009d an approach developed by Prof. Valerie Thomas has caught the attention of major corporations and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Smart Trash systems not only provide  sustainable and productive ways for discarding items, but also can redefine the relationship people have with their garbage.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Smart Trash systems could reinvent the way we view garbage."}],"uid":"15436","created_gmt":"2009-09-17 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:25","author":"Automator","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2009-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2009-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"39617":{"id":"39617","type":"image","title":"tbo03573.jpg","body":null,"created":"1449174110","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:21:50","changed":"1475894263","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:37:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"189704","name":"tbo03573.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tbo03573_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tbo03573_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":61982,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tbo03573_0.jpg?itok=aASZxoQz"}},"39618":{"id":"39618","type":"image","title":"Smart Trash concept receptacle with scanner.","body":null,"created":"1449174110","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:21:50","changed":"1475894263","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:37:43","alt":"Smart Trash concept receptacle with scanner.","file":{"fid":"189705","name":"tvi03898.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tvi03898_4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tvi03898_4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":66079,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tvi03898_4.jpg?itok=4jQKzNEN"}}},"media_ids":["39617","39618"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3483","name":"recyclables"},{"id":"3482","name":"Valerie Thomas; ISYE; environment; smart trash"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EDon Fernandez\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=dfernandez8\u0022\u003EContact Don Fernandez\u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Don.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}