Involving consumers and households in smart waste recycling

Abstract

Smart enabling technologies such as the Big Data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to make waste recycling more effective and sustainable in the smart city context. However, despite the technological enablers, the success of waste recycling in households is highly dependent on sustainable consumer behavior and green thinking. This chapter investigates how enabling technologies can assist consumers to improve their recycling activity and overcome the barriers of efficient waste recycling. By using the Industry 5.0 paradigm as a framework, the research is conducted in terms of two qualitative case studies focusing on waste management companies and consumers, both operating in the smart city context. The results show that the smart enabling technologies can be employed not only as technical facilitators but also as motivators for efficient waste recycling on the household level. The technologies also provide tools for active participation and continuous connectivity between consumers and recycling service providers, which in turn makes it possible to involve consumers as innovators in the development of new services in smart cities.