First, what is recycling?
Recycling can be defined as "the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions (compared to plastic production, for example). Recycling can prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, thereby reducing: energy usage, air pollution (from incineration), and water pollution (from land filling). Recyclying is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" waste hierarchy."
What's the issue?
Sometimes people just don't know how to recycle a precise packaging and even after some research on the Internet, they still don't know so they put the packaging in the wrong bin.
How can a smart and easy-to-use platform help sort out waste?
My project aims at helping you recycle things. You just have to upload a photo of the item or packaging on a platform and it will tell you RIGHT AWAY in which bin you'll have to put it.
STEP 1: Take a photo
STEP 2: Upload it on the app
STEP 3: Discover the result
How to create from scratch this kind of AI?
Step 1: Learn about Ml5 and MobileNet
To make this Artificial Intelligence happen we are going to use a Javascript Library, ml5.js. More specifically we will be using Ml5.imageClassifier(). It is a method to create an object that classifies an image using a pre-trained model. You can click here for more information on the subject.
Step 2: Actually create your own classification of recyclable items with MobileNet
You must integrate worldwide plastic classification as followed:
In every category there will be specific products. For instance, the Pasquier plastic bag will be classified in LDPE 4. It will be recyclable.
Just like every AI, this one relies on loads of data. Data help the app improve because the more data you collect, the more you your AI will learn things and will be performant. This is what this 2017 issue of the Economist highlights.
Therefore, the AI will need to be trained a lot. It has to know every item sold in supermarkets in order to help individuals sort their waste.
Final tip
Your file should more or less look like that
