This week, I was privileged to speak to Nathan Misichi , co-founder of Sensibin about one of the biggest challenges around recycling, that of engagement. I recall when implementing recycling programs, one of the biggest challenges was alleviating the concerns of participants around recycling. The most common calls in the first week or two of a program is, “what can be recycled?”, “what cannot be recycled?”, and “Is this (product) recyclable?” People generally want to the right thing, but they aren’t always certain what the right thing is. When in doubt, they tend to throw it out.
Sensibin has come up with a solution for that question that occurs at the point of disposal, it’s called Zero. Imagine a companion standing by the recycling container and helping guide the decision on what container the item goes in. Zero educates and nudges users towards better recycling habits. Zero is also always learning, and improved by it’s users inputs.
The idea of Zero came to Nathan after seeing a gap between waste and it’s disposal. While still in it’s early stages, and a few months yet from being ready to be on the market, Zero promises to bridge the gap between consumer and disposal through empowering end users with education.
This is a great example of technology intersecting with waste and can lead to better recycling rates and less contamination in the recycling stream. In fact, Nathan states that they have conducted studies that using Zero over a four week time period and it raised the diversion rate from a starting point of 30% to over 80%!
This is not a sponsored blog, but when I come across something as cool as Zero I wanted to make sure to pass on the information to those of you trying to improve your waste stream. For more information, please reach out to Nathan Misischi and the team at Sensibin @ www.sensibin.com/zero or nathan@sensibin.com
Stay well.