How PepsiCo is Gamifying Recycling for Sustainability
Less than 2% of waste is recycled globally and there are many reasons why.
A lack of transparency in waste, confusing packaging and convenience can all discourage consumers from properly recycling.
PepsiCo is the first global beverage supplier to partner with Intuitive AI to offer an AI-powered solution to recycling accuracy.
Oscar Sort is an AI solution that gamifies recycling and helps to ensure waste is disposed of in the correct way.
Oscar is capable of detecting organic remnants in food containers, prompting users to pour out liquids and provides precise disposal instructions for almost any material ready to be discarded.
“PepsiCo is offering Oscar Sort as part of our award-winning pep+ Partners for Tomorrow platform that brings scaled sustainability capabilities to our customers,” says Emma Stradling, Senior Director of Sustainability for PepsiCo Beverages North America.
“By identifying strategic partners and customer locations where Oscar Sort installation can drive impact, we're aiming to help our customer partners improve their recycling accuracy and increase waste diversion rates at their locations to keep valuable materials in the supply chain.”
How Oscar Sort works
Oscar Sort is a smart, AI-powered recycling assistant that can provide waste insights whilst gamifying the process of recycling.
Intuitive AI says it can boost recycling up to 300%, provide up to 40% savings in operations and increase engagement seven times.
The solution aligns each site’s recycling guidelines, allowing facilities to get granular information on waste disposed.
Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo, says: “Oscar’s technology can identify materials and guide users to the appropriate recycling bin to aid correct recycling/reuse collection – it’s even capable of detecting leftovers in food containers.
“The amazing thing about Oscar is that there is also an interactive digital display that gamifies the experience and provides real-time feedback to educate and engage consumers.”
PepsiCo says the Oscar Sort solution will not only support front-end recycling but also back-end analytics with its material recovery partners like Replenysh.
Meet Intuitive AI’s Oscar range
Intuitive AI’s Oscar range aims to support proper recycling using AI through cameras, screens and a chatbot.
Oscar Pixel offers waste management driven by AI through cameras that detect waste disposal.
It can detect the fullness of dumpsters and sense contamination.
The company described Oscar Pocket as ‘ChatGPT for Waste’, a chatbot that can answer questions about where to properly dispose of waste.
Intuitive AI has a long list of partners including HSBC, Meta, AT&T and Toyota.
“Partnering with PepsiCo expands Oscar Sort's reach in high-traffic public spaces, accelerating recycling and sustainable media at scale,” says Hassan Murad, CEO & Co-Founder of Intuitive AI.
“Together, we're aiming to improve circularity and educate consumers in a fun and engaging way.”
About pep+ Partners for Tomorrow
pep+ Partners for Tomorrow is a platform that delivers solutions with the aim of supporting its customers in achieving their sustainability goals.
It brings PepsiCo’s comprehensive customer sustainability offerings under a single platform to deliver critical solutions most needed by its partners.
These programmes are in line with pep+, PepsiCo’s sustainability strategy.
"PepsiCo has a long history of working together with our partners to advance shared sustainability goals. The Partners for Tomorrow platform aims to scale those solutions to foster the most effective partnerships and long standing impact," says Todd Squarek, Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for PepsiCo Beverages North America.
"With this platform we're leveraging the shared scale of PepsiCo's and our customers' businesses to maximise impact, drive progress toward our pep+ goals, and benefit both our businesses, the planet and the communities we serve."
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