Hoping to preserve the environment, people compartmentalize domestic garbage for recycling every day. Slovenia is an exemplary waste recycler on paper, but there is plenty of room for improvement in recycling packaging waste.
In 2016, Slovenia was in third place among European Union countries with 58% of total recycled municipal waste per year; however, according to the European Environment Agency, almost 18% of collected waste ended up in unknown treatment or disposal facilities — the highest share in the EU.
Based on information from industry insiders, NGOs, and locals, this project's team will identify the waste collectors, communities, and types of waste where reasonable suspicion exists that waste is not being treated according to regulations.
Based on this research, team members will covertly attach GPS trackers on problematic types of waste—such as packaging, domestic, electronic, and construction waste—and dispose of them in previously identified locations. The waiting game will start, as well as on-the-go detection of items straying off their expected paths to the recycling or waste disposal facility.
Perfecting waste management is crucial to reversing environmental degradation. By monitoring the flow of waste from consumers to its final destination, we will improve the public understanding of how the system works and shed light on its deficiencies.
