In mid-January, in the Norwegian capital, startup Sensorita, Norwegian recycling industry Avfall Norge, and startup accelerator Startuplab met for the first time ever to discuss how to support the circular and digital transformation of the waste industry. We have launched a garbage technology exchange meeting. They are passing.
Waste is one of the most important challenges of our time, with the amount of waste predicted to double by 2050. In Europe, more than 30% of waste still ends up in landfills, and recycling rates vary by country.
“Waste treatment companies need to understand what their role is in the circular economy,” says Ulricke Lien, CEO and co-founder of startup Sensorita.
At “Trash Tech,” she and other organizers aim to foster a new technology field that groups technologies that address challenges related to waste treatment, recycling, and overall waste management. did. This could include smart bins, sensor-based monitoring systems for waste collection, blockchain applications for transparency and traceable recycling processes, or advanced robotics for sorting and processing recyclables. innovations may be included.
Oslo-based startup Sensorita is developing sensors that monitor digital twins of waste containers to streamline waste management and facilitate recycling. “We fall under several technologies such as deep tech, contech, proptech, cleantech, etc. We have never met potential customers through these ecosystems,” said Lian. .
Technology can solve many of the problems facing the industry. A characteristic of the waste sector is that the profits of companies do not increase significantly even if more garbage is processed. “We are not interested in (collecting) more trash,” said Stian Havik Halland, development director at one of Norway's largest waste disposal companies. “However, the BIR must be able to secure adequate resources to pass the waste on to the next party in the waste supply chain,” BIR said.
Waste management companies lack access to startups that can help them solve their problems, and the sector is missing out on many opportunities due to a lack of awareness of this potential new technology area. “Investors are not familiar with the waste industry and are therefore hesitant to invest in this sector,” she said.
Technologists and entrepreneurs don't realize the huge opportunity or need for innovation in this area, she says. So they set up an after-work meetup. Although we didn't have high expectations at first, over 170 people signed up to attend the event.
Startups do indeed hold the key to solving the waste problem, said Karl Lyapunov, head of energy at the accelerator StartupLab, which groups more than 70 startups. In Norway, a growing number of young entrepreneurs and students are looking to develop impactful solutions to reduce emissions and solve the climate crisis. In the trash tech field, apart from Sensorita, he can name names like GRIN, Chappycast, and Effisense.
Heidi Hopstock, an advisor at Avfor Norge, a group of more than 200 waste treatment companies, said the industry is certainly a crucial and important part of ensuring society transitions from a linear to a circular economy. He said he has a role to play. Having worked in the sector for the past two years, she has “seen a positive trend” in the waste industry partnering with start-ups that can provide solutions in this space.
Jon Lille-Schulstad, director of business development at waste management company Ragn-Sells AS, which has partnered with Sensorita, said working with start-ups can be beneficial for companies, with less capital and resources to invest. He said this is because it requires less financial risk. To support development.
Sensorita's solutions are based on artificial intelligence and historical data. Experts say AI will help transform the waste industry, but it's still not revolutionary when it comes to covering some tasks traditionally handled by human labor. It is enough to separate different types of waste, which makes it easier to produce circular products,” says Project Manager at Norsk Gjenvinning Renovasjon, an organization with more than 400 employees that collects and separates waste. , said Peter Callister.
Given the success and interest, the team behind the first Garbage Technology Conference aims to replicate it on an even larger scale. Lien said it makes sense for Garbage Tech to start in Norway, given that Norway is “marking itself as a cleantech hotspot,” but he thinks about the possibility of future Garbage Tech conferences. He said that he is also paying attention to Europe.
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