AI for Packaging Plastic Waste Management and EPR Closed Loop Recycling Project at IIT Madras

Artificial Intelligence for effective packaging-waste management, implementation of EPR & closed loop recycling

Objective

• We propose an integrated AI-powered solution comprising two complementary systems: A Conveyor-Based Plastic Identification and Sorting System, An IoT-enabled Smart Bin System, Garbage Bank System

Description

• The problem of mounting plastic waste demands immediate attention globally, as the ability of ecosystems to adapt to climate change may be altered by plastic pollution, In India, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal to systematically track and mitigate the plastic pollution caused by producers. However, a key challenge lies in verifying the authenticity of the reported plastic quantities and ensuring that the registered waste is genuinely recycled.

Impact

• This project aims to bring this transparency and is targeted at all recyclers through the strict transparency required by the plastic producers. Both mechanical and chemical recyclers will have to use a similar system proposed here to sell plastic credits to the plastic producers.