Se separating the waste at home in a correct way may seem like a simple task … until you run into the cork of a bottle of wine, an organic waste cardboard, a wet wipe or a white polyespan tray. Blue, yellow container, gray …? With some of these objects, the doubt is served. And it is right where it comes into play Air, the smart wizard Developed by The Circular Lab, the Ecoembes Circular Economics Innovation Center, located in Logroño.
This free chatbot, which has been working since 2018 and now incorporates The latest in generative artificial intelligencehas become a very effective ally for those who want to recycle well without complicating life with internet searches. But air is not just a chat; It is an intelligent tool that uses voice, text and attention, photographs, to respond instantly on how to separate all types of waste. Don’t you know if Colonia’s bottle goes to yellow, green or gray? Do you have a photo of the object and have no idea what to do with it? Air analyzes and responds.
In addition to recognizing images, air is available in five languages (Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque and English) and, since 2024, you can Also write you through the WhatsApp appwhich has made even easier to access its services. Proof of its usefulness are the results. The tool has responded to almost half a million consultations in 2024, with 309,000 through its application, 145,900 on different websites and more than 40,000 per WhatsApp, its new star channel. Because recycling should be easy, and now it is more than ever.
Most common mistakes
But what does it make different from the new version of air? The answer is in the generative AI, a technology that not only analyzes data but also Create new contentsuch as text, audio, and video images. Unlike other types of AI, this model is capable of creating new data that did not exist previously, using such information to understand consultations or applications of users formulated in natural language, and offer new and relevant content in response.
That allows the wizard to understand questions formulated in multiple formats and offer useful, clear and adapted answers to the context. It is no longer just about saying “where a can of soda goes”, but to explain, for example, what to do if a “tail” is full, if it carries a plastic straw or if you have found it lying on the street. This capacity allows us to accompany us in very diverse scenarios, from a domestic cleaning up to recycling campaigns in schools or companies.
Knowledge about domestic recycling increases year by year in Spain, however, there are waste that still causes some confusion. One of the most common mistakes is to throw the canned cans to the gray or green container. However, they are an aluminum container, so their site is the yellow container. And what do we do with wet wipes or diapers? We ask it to air and answer that they do not go in blue (even if they seem paper), but neither in yellow (even if they have plastic). They go to the remains container. Like the napkins or dirty papers with oil, they should not be mixed with clean paper. However, the cardboard of a pizza or similar, impregnated with organic waste, must be deposited in the fraction of paper and cardboard.
Cosmetics can also generate confusion, but when we question it “Where are the perfume bottles, makeup containers, aerosols?”Air answers that it depends on the material of each component, and that is where this artificial intelligence system shines: not only says what, but also why. In addition, it indicates where to deposit each of the components of the soap boats, deodorants, perfume, makeup, etc. Piece by piece.
«With air, leaving behind doubts is as easy as sending a photo or writing a message. With intelligence, accessibility and a real commitment to the environment, air demonstrates that technology, far from being cold, can be a close ally in the fight against waste, ”says Nieves Rey, director of Communication and Marketing of Ecoembes. “Air is the result of active listening: citizens raised their recycling doubts and in Ecoembes we were clear that we had to facilitate things, give them tools to solve them, and technology was the most appropriate way to do so,” he says.
The truth is that recycling well does not have to be complicated and should not be. Air flags just that: a technological advance that not only improves waste management, but empowers citizens and makes them an active part of a cultural transformation towards a cleaner and more sustainable planet. These tools may help us more and more on that path.