Alternative Camden - Ideas




What is it?
A fully transparent recycling system for plastic bottles and packaging, with end-to-end traceability and open data.

Why is it useful?
If we are to develop the next generation of recycling infrastructure, we need to be able to trust that materials are being processed in the correct way - not being burnt in China or exploited by organised criminal gangs.

If we could implement end to end traceability of materials, open supply-chain data and public open data sharing, we could create a system that we trust is operating in the public interest, free from corruption. Companies like Provenance, offer an example of how distributed ledgers can be used to share such information and smart contracts could be used to ensure recycling policy is legally binding and harder to exploit.

Who would need to be involved?
  • Local waste & recycling service providers
  • Camden Council
  • Camden residents
  • Distributed ledger technology experts
  • Supermarkets & delivery services

Where do we start?
  • Map the current recycling system for a plastic bottle collected in Camden.
  • Convene system stakeholders and develop proposal for increasing transparency and traceability.
  • Work with experts to identify and propose required technologies, regulatory changes and contract innovations.
  • Develop paper prototype for alternative recycling system.
  • Identify which part of the system could be mocked-up and tested in Camden and how the overall recycling user experience could be imagined and proposed.

Some thoughts…
  • How do you incentivise consumers, manufacturers & recyclers to all engage in the shared system?
  • Is it realistic to propose full traceability of every single plastic product or is there a more efficient solution?
  • Is it more realistic/desirable to have smart plastics that know where to go to be upcycled, remanufactured, decompose?
  • If we truly strive for producing zero waste, is investment into systems that live of waste most effective or better invest in systems that regenerate?