The world is drowning in an ever-growing heap of garbage. Food waste and trash are accumulating at such a speedy rate that towns and cities are turning into a garbage bins. Several nations are struggling to find a convenient solution for waste management. Do we have a sustainable solution to address waste disposal problem? The answer is yet to be discovered.
Waste disposal management is one of the prime challenges faced by most of the countries around the world. Rapid technological developments are opening gates for exploration and production activities, eventually resulting in waste formation. From municipal solid waste to drilling waste management work, our ocean and land are forced to be occupied with garbage. In such a scenario, can Blockchain help build a sustainable world to live?
Fueled by Blockchain Technology
With Blockchain technology, it is easy to build fast and secure network for transfer of data. It is a robust protocol on which safe platforms can be built and eventually give promising results. There are numerous ways Blockchain can address our wastage issue.
For efficient results, it is necessary to observe full cycle of every product from how they are created to when and where they are thrown away. While comprehending this life cycle, it is vital to hold companies responsible, who are engaged in the production process and in the supply chain. Introduction of laws and standards will reinforce responsibility to every sector i.e. producer, distributor and consumer and costly fines for those who violate them.
Some standards are already in place but nations are not implementing them, largely due to various issues surrounding the water management concept like waste tracking and rules enforcement. Here, Blockchain technology can be a great help.
For instance, the production of goods at each level can be recorded as a transaction on Blockchain. This will give a unique identity to the product, making every company responsible for its production. Now, when the products are sold in the market and circulated, they carry their identity on package, which cannot be destroyed. After the product is used and disposed of in landfill, a new transaction will be recorded and stored on Blockchain. Everything will be accessible through QR code printed on each product. In case, if a Blockchain encrypted product ends up as trash on beach somewhere, we can easily identify the responsible person or company with the help of Blockchain Technology.
Introduction of this system brings up many practical contemplations like setting-up amount, running costs, the process of monitoring and how to enforce them. The process is difficult but not impossible especially when we are determined about finding a worldwide solution of waste disposal.
Blockchain technology is on its way to reap benefits for waste management problem. Various companies are implementing this technology and are coming out with innovative applications and cryptocurrency coins to deal with waste management. Let’s take a quick look at the companies, who use Blockchain Technology to manage waste disposal.
A Blockchain based platform that aims to solve the problem of waste management and save earth from excessive pollution. With the aim of converting trash into real value, this waste management initiative offers users to earn coins from waste sorting. Their network is not just a substitute to waste recycling of vegetation or a garbage assembling machine. They are determined to inspire people to make this world sustainable and cleaner, not just for themselves but for the whole humankind and the future generation!
You can exchange aluminum and plastic bottles in vending machine and get rewarded with Recereum coins in your account. Also, you can switch used batteries and other electronics with real valuable coins. The coins earned via disposing garbage can be used as a rebate in the bills for gas, electricity, garbage disposal etc. Also, it allows you to buy food and other essential everyday items. This platform offers an opportunity to clean your environment and meanwhile make you rich.
“Putting Energy into Waste to Create Energy from Waste”
SwachhCoin is a nonprofit organization that uses Blockchain technology with the aim to renovate waste management sector. It plans to generate an environment that will make citizens to understand their roles and act responsibly. Further, to make industries and individuals participate in waste management program, they have made different application based on other relevant technology like Big data, IoT and Artificial intelligence. For instance: SWATEL is the acronym for Swachh Adaptive Intelligence, which is a customized application of Adaptive Intelligence technology. This application augments the efficiency of machines by making them intelligent in order to get the desired output during waste processing or any other activity.
Similarly, SWATA i.e. Swachh Big data is an application based on Big Data that collects information from past and apply them in the activities like collection, transportation and distribution in an integrated manner via intelligent machines. SWIOT or Swachh Internet of Things gives complete access to regulate waste processing equipment both outdoor and indoor to increase efficiency. And SWBIN i.e. Swachh Bins is a waste collection bin encompassing features like linked user identity database, automatic opening and closing lid, integrated waste separation, reward distribution etc.
“We are producers of energy, NOT an energy exchange platform.”
Being the world’s first tangible, ecological and waste to energy power plant, 4NEW is a Blockchain based platform, dedicated to crypto-mining. They collect waste at nominal cost, process it in a combustion chamber, generate free energy and organic byproducts and the energy obtained is used in an onsite crypto-mining farm.
The KWATT Coin is an Ethereum ERC20 smart contract that signifies that an agreement between token holder and 4NEW has been established. They represent the amount of electricity available on the Blockchain for miners, which can be used for processing transactions within top 20 cryptocurrencies available in the market. Based on the amount of energy used for mining the currency, the fees of cryptocurrency transactions are calculated, termed as hash rate.
OILSC is an oil and gas supply chain technology built on Blockchain that aims to augment the productivity and transparency in terms of transaction between drill waste management service providers and oil companies through smart contracts. The process rotates around the usage of OILSC coins.
The objective of OILSC is to introduce cutting-edge technology for oil and gas companies so that they can efficiently handle waste. The focus is on augmenting the cooperation between O&G companies, governments and organization via Blockchain and Smart Contracts and the fact that O&G companies uses ten times more water than oil results in more wastage of water.
5. Plastic Bank
It is a global recycling venture originated in Canada to diminish plastic waste in developing countries. So far countries like Peru, Haiti, Colombia and the Philippines have already been covered. This platform allows people to switch plastic with money, Blockchain based digital tokens or any other item based on the quality of plastic. This process of rewarding people for bringing plastic waste to the recycling centers halts the tide of plastic drowning into ocean, saving the ecosystem and eradicating poverty. By using Plastic bank app, people can buy items or save it for future.
Though several countries are taking steps to eliminate waste formation and move towards recycling, there is still more to be achieved. Need of the hour is to encourage people to realize their responsibility towards earth, which is turning toxic every day. Waste sorting and management can solve half of the problem, if implemented accurately. The growing technology is hopeful to convert waste into gold. The only thing missing is participation at larger level.
As far as Blockchain is concerned, it is time that we start using this technology for solving issues that are currently hounding the mankind. Sadly, its potential is currently limited to cryptocurrency mining while it could revolutionize governance system, assist economy efficiently and even tackle climate change. For waste management, Blockchain can be used to build decentralized reliable networks to comprehend the source of garbage and where it ends up. This could lead to the revolution that has been escaping us for years.
This was all about Blockchain technology and its application to waste management. If you have any query or anything to share, feel free to contact us.