Hong Kong Startup Uses AI to Make Recycling Easy

Recycling can be a pain. You have to separate paper, plastic, and metal, then find different drop-off locations. That's why Jorch Wong started The Loops, a Hong Kong startup that picks up recyclables right from your door. After leaving advertising in 2019, Wong noticed how inconvenient recycling was. He visited recycling plants, learned how materials are processed, and even taught himself to code. Now, his platform uses AI to schedule and streamline collections for both households and businesses.

The Loops works like a subscription service: you sign up, and they come to you. The AI helps plan efficient routes and manage pickups, making recycling as easy as taking out the trash. This matters because when recycling is easy, more people do it. Hong Kong, like many cities, struggles with waste management. By removing the hassle, The Loops could significantly increase the amount of material recycled, reducing landfill use and environmental impact.

For everyday people, this means less time sorting and driving to collection points. For businesses, it's a way to meet sustainability goals without extra effort. The service isn't free, but it's designed to be affordable. The catch? It's currently only in Hong Kong, and scaling to other cities will take time. But it's a promising model that shows how technology can solve real-world problems. If successful, it could inspire similar services elsewhere, making recycling a no-brainer for everyone.