Coding the future of waste management
How does the optimal solution for waste management look like in 2050? That's what Cegal and Norsk Gjenvinning wanted to find out, so they invited students and employees to a hackathon. Keywords: sensors, the cloud, ChatGPT, and IoT - the Internet of Things.
We are throwing away more and more. In 2020, the average Norwegian discarded 449 kilograms of garbage. In total, 2.4 million tons of household waste were thrown away, according to Statistics Norway (SSB). Finding solutions that allow us to handle waste as efficiently as possible and reuse as much as possible with minimal effort are both sustainable and necessary.
Cegals customer Norsk Gjenvinning (NG) is a central player in this industry. In just a few years, the company group has transitioned from being a waste collector to becoming a producer of recycled materials. The conglomerate's motto is: "There is no more trash." The goal is to become a driving force in the Norwegian circular economy. At the same time, NG has ambitious goals in digital transformation, and Cegal is NG's preferred technology partner in areas such as data analysis, integration, and solution architecture.
Perhaps the recent hackathon that Cegal and Norsk Gjenvinning invited to was a small step towards the goal.
The invitation to the hackathon read: "Create the optimal solution for household waste recycling for the year 2050. Describe the entire ecosystem from households to recycling facilities.
Include:
- Sorting
- Collection
- Payment solution
- Notifications to households and waste management companies.”
The invitation was sent to students in the Østlandet region who teamed up with employees from company A for 24 hours of intensive group work involving design, architecture, coding, testing, trial and error, and further development. Cegal provided facilities, food and drinks, access to Microsoft Azure, ChatGPT, sensors in various forms, and microcomputers (ESP32) to control everything. After 24 hours, the groups presented their results.
– Success! says Manfred Bjørlin, Lead Solution Architect in Cegal and responsible for the hackathon.
– The challenge for participants in a hackathon is to prioritize what's most important and set boundaries for what can be accomplished. All the groups managed to limit themselves, and it was impressive to see what they had achieved after just a few hours of intensive group work, Bjørlin continues.
OsloMet and TrashGenius 3000
After one day, the groups Trash Notification Service, OsloMet-students, TrashGenius 3000, and WasteWise presented different solutions for optimal waste management in 2050.
We have emphasized raising awareness about the importance of waste sorting
Nora Nicolaisen, student at OsloMet
Together with fellow students Casandra Mayorga, Elliot Hoover, and Jay Janaskar from OsloMet, she presents a solution where sensors provide instructions on how to sort the garbage, and households are rewarded with lower fees for proper sorting and waste management.
The four computer engineering students have participated in several hackathons together.
Read more about Cegal arranging hackathon for IT consultants >
- Hackathon is a great way to get to know a company and gain experience in solving real-world tasks, says Casandra Mayorga, who envisions working as a system developer after completing her education as a computer engineer at OsloMet.
ChatGPT and blockchain
TrashGenius 3000 presented the most advanced solution: “the world's first IoT-enabled, AI-powered trash bin with blockchain technology.” A solution built with and on Whisper, ChatGPT, Microsoft Azure services, and blockchain.
Today we are going to embark on a journey to revolutionize waste management
Vlad Dragomir, system developer in Cegal
Vlad Dragomir presented TrashGenius 3000 along with colleagues from Cegal, Tore Aadland, and George Bulai.
- What makes our trashbin so special? It’s IoT-enabled, with built-in sensors with smart connectivity. Our trash bin can communicate with your devices, alerting you when it’s time to empty it. It can also reward better recycling, Vlad Dragomir explains.
- Our TrashGenius is also AI-powered with advanced machine learning algorithms. Our trash bin can analyze the content it holds, providing valuable insights into how you can reduce waste and recycle more effectively, Tore Aadland adds.
– Why are you from Cegal participating in the hackathon?
We get to learn something new and work with both hardware and software development. Usually, we only write code
George Bulai, Full Stack developer in Cegal
– It's educational to put together an entire system consisting of sensors, hardware, and the cloud with Microsoft Azure, and make everything work together through software development. And it's great to meet students and learn from them, Vlad Dragomir responds.
WasteWise
The WasteWise group consisted of Parkavan Illavalagan, studying computer science at the University of Oslo (UiO), and developers Agnija Bako and Melanie Østbøll from Cegal. The group also used sensors to sort garbage more efficiently and notify waste handlers when the trash bins needed to be emptied. Invoicing is also automated.
– Why are you from Cegal spending a nice weekend on this?
– I have never done anything like this before, programming micro-PCs and making sensors and machines communicate with each other. I have a Raspberry Pi at home that I have never used, but now I have learned everything from which pin to connect where to how the microcomputer communicates with the sensors," says Melanie Østbøll.
Parkavan Illavalagan, student at UiO, Agnija Bako (in the middle), and Melanie Østbøll from Cegal were the team WasteWise
UiO student Parkavan Illavalagan highlights the opportunity to work together in teams and collaborate towards a common goal as one of the most educational aspects of the hackathon.
The winner – Trash Notification Service
The jury from Cegal and Norsk Gjenvinning selected Trash Notification Service (TNS) as the winner of the hackathon.
Choosing the winner was not easy. All the groups had different strengths, but Trash Notification Service had the most comprehensive technical solution. They had also implemented a laser, says Manfred Bjørlin.
The TNS group consisted of Jonas Høgseth, studying information systems at the University in Østfold, along with Nikola Jovanovic and Magnus Andreas Holmen, both developers at Cegal.
Høgseth explains that the combination of frontend and backend development is what really attracted him to the hackathon.
It's fun to do things we don't typically do. Usually, we only work with code. Here, we get to combine computers, sensors, and code
Nikola Jovanovic, developer in Cegal
The solution that impressed the jury used sensors to indicate when garbage needed to be emptied. Instead of waste being collected at fixed times, TNS ensures that it is collected when needed. Billing is also automated.
The winning team Trash Notification Service (TNS) selected by Cegal and Norsk Gjenvinning
– What is the benefit for Cegal in organizing a hackathon?
When students work together with our employees, everyone learns from each other. Students learn what it's like to work on concrete tasks that will go to market, while our employees receive input from students who often work with newer systems and solutions than we do
Manfred Bjørlin, Lead Solution Architect in Cegal
He adds that it is also important for Cegal to have contact with colleges and universities to recruit new, talented individuals.
– We are planning a new hackathon for the fall. Follow our LinkedIn page for updates, Bjørlin concludes.
At Norsk Gjenvinning, Cegal has provided consulting, integration of NG's digital value chains and systems, as well as the design of technical solutions. Cegal's developers have worked on architecture and integration development, while data engineers have assisted NG with data migration, analysis, and reporting.
