Did you know that globally, over 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste is generated annually? (Source: The World Bank)
This staggering amount not only poses significant challenges for waste management systems but also underscores the urgent need for adopting circular economy principles to minimize waste generation and maximize resource efficiency.
On April 15th we heard from four start-ups on their solutions to fight waste once and for all. Relive the event below:
Moderation By:
Keynote By:
The Start-ups:
Bitten Jakobsen
Community Manager
Based In: Copenhagen, Denmark
What They Do: THE UPCYCL is enabling what is waste for one company to become valuable resources for another. By connecting industries with industrial waste materials and companies that need them, they are creating circular possibilities and fostering a tight-knit community where everyone shares surplus materials, maximizing the value of existing resources. In doing so, THE UPCYCL community reduces waste and virgin material consumption. All THE UPCYCL materials, referred to as New Waste materials, are uniform and flow continuously, ensuring that, when matched, the stream of New Waste materials keeps flowing. This enables companies to rely on a circular supply chain or turn industrial waste into a source of circular revenue.
Dr. Matthias Golomb
Technical Sales Manager Deutschland
Based In: London, England
What They Do: One of the biggest barriers recycling plants face is separating the huge variety of materials which end up in our trash. Recycleye’s AI-powered trash-sorting robots have Recycleye Vision, which is the London start-up’s flagship technology and functions exactly like a human eye to tell different products apart. In fact, the robots are more consistently accurate than humans, because they’re more reliable, more cost-effective, and can work 24/7. If human-like robot vision sounds like a very futuristic invention, then the future is now. With 21 robots already installed in sites across Europe, Recycleye is successfully reducing waste in the present.
Michaela Stephen
Co-Founder
Based In: Vienna, Austria
What They Do: MATR provides a circular mattress solution for the hotel and accommodation industry. Providing high-quality, recyclable mattresses, and add-on services for a monthly rental fee or one-time payment, they are enabling businesses to provide their guests with a premium sleep experience whilst saving cost and time and improving their environmental impact.
Nathanael Laier
Co-Founder & CEO Product
Based In: Würzburg, Germany
What They Do: WeSort.AI specializes in the granular analysis and sorting of waste objects using artificial intelligence. As a tech company, they have special know-how in deep learning object recognition and segmentation and are developing solutions with artificial intelligence to sort more materials according to type and at the same time more cost-effectively. WeSort.AI’s mission is to make it possible for 100% of our resources to be recycled in a closed loop. The basic requirement for this is sorting.