There were around a hundred people from all over the world who applied for the EntertainmentLab, an acceleration program launched at the end of 2023 by Startup Flanders and FIT (Flanders Investment&Trade). In the end, only four start-ups were selected. Their mission? Helping event organizers, such as major music festivals, resolve a range of issues they face.
Among the four start-ups selected, we find a young Walloon company! This is Neurogreen, a technological company created in 2017 by Carlos Kiala while he was still a student at the Polytechnic Faculty of Mons. Supported by Numédiart (UMons research institute in the field of creative technologies), the student-entrepreneur started from an observation: the poor quality of waste sorting on the Mons campus. His idea is then to develop a connected object that improves the sorting and recycling of waste. In 2018, a first “smart” trash can project, that is to say electric and connected, saw the light of day.
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An interactive trash can
In partnership with Beyond Ordering, a Flemish start-up selected by EntertainmentLab (the other two are French and American), and with the support of Brussels Airport, Neurogreen will have the opportunity to test its innovative waste sorting solution during the 2024 edition of the famous Tomorrowland festival. Like other large-scale festivals, six out of ten waste is sorted into the wrong bin. “We will inform festival-goers, thanks to our interactive smart bins, on how to contribute to a circular economy where waste is reused”explains the founder and CEO of Neurogreen.
The solution imagined by Neurogreen dusts off traditional information campaigns and sorting systems. Instead of the classic booklet where sorting instructions are summarized, the Neurogreen trash can is capable of interacting with users.
guillement“Where, for example, should we put the yoghurt pots? For many people, despite all the awareness campaigns, it is still not clear”
From L’Esplanade to Standard de Liège
The project has evolved through pilot projects carried out with different companies and organisations (such as the Vanheede Environnement group, the Tibi intermunicipal company, the Ottignies and Jolimont Clinics, the Esplanade de Louvain-la-Neuve, the Standard de Liège stadium, etc.).So far, these projects have mainly served to educate the population on the rules of waste sorting, underlines Carlos Kiala. Where, for example, should we place the yogurt pots? For many people, despite all the awareness campaigns, it is still not clear. But we also see that we can apply our solution to sectors where the problem of sorting quality is a major issue. For biomethanization, for example, the quality of sorting of inputs is essential.”.
Optimizing waste sorting not only reduces processing costs in sorting centers and environmental impact, but also achieves better recycling quality and greater value of recycled materials.
Optical sensors and algorithms
On a technological level, the Neurogreen trash can innovates thanks to the integration of different technologies (waste pre-scanning, sorting verification, etc.). “We are putting the power of AI at the service of the planet”, said Carlos Kiala. Equipped with optical sensors and so-called embedded AI software (we speak of “AI”on edge”), the bin is able to detect waste types and interact with users (via voice and a screen). In the event of an error, the user is warned – before dropping their waste in the bin – so that they can correct their sorting. The device also allows data to be collected and transmitted, in the form of dashboards, to Neurogreen’s customers.
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“The advantage of AI on edge is that it reduces energy consumption while maintaining the necessary power”, indicates the CEO of Neurogreen. , Which adds that this is a solution “100% Walloon”In addition to initial funding from the Region, the start-up benefited from support from the WSL incubator and the Quimesis engineering firm.
