Developed by Nestlé Singapore in collaboration with the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Information Technology, Recycle123 is initially available only for smartphone users in Singapore. It was launched on the iPhone app store at the end of June.
Recycle123 is designed to be used with both Nestlé and non-Nestlé products “We are currently working with the relevant government and non-government bodies to promote this application to other parties,” the company told FoodProductionDaily.
Nestlé added that similar applications could be developed for use in any municipality that relies on coloured bins to promote the sorting of waste by consumers.
In a 2008 report from market analyst IGD, almost two thirds of shoppers (64 per cent) admitted to making mistakes with their recyclable packaging, while one third (34 per cent) admitted they were unclear as to what kind of packaging materials they are able to recycle.
Eureka moment
The app was the brainchild of Yves Soppelsa, senior packaging engineer at the Nestlé Research Center in Singapore: “I noticed that people in the apartment block where I live were sorting waste packaging for recycling incorrectly.
“I realised that there was not enough information at the recycling point to help people understand which parts of the packaging should be put in which bin.”
As a solution to the problem, 123Recycle provides users with clear, easy-to-understand instructions. When used with a Nestlé product, the app gives exact instructions on how to sort and dispose of each part of its packaging.
For Maggi brand tomato sauce for example, it advises users to put the product’s bottle and label in the green recycling bin for glass and its metal screw cap in the yellow bin for metal and aluminium.
Other manufacturers
For non-Nestlé products, the app currently offers generic recycling instructions about specific packaging materials, but the authorities in Singapore are inviting other manufacturers to add their packaging to the Recycle123 database for free.
Recycle123 currently covers 99 per cent of Nestlé products sold in Singapore, including imports and including products from Nestlé Purina and Nestlé Waters, while its information database is being updated every few months to include more products.
Future plans include introducing more sophisticated versions. “In Singapore, we are currently in discussions with our local government and non-government agencies to launch a second phase of the app to include a map indicating the recycling bin locations in Singapore,” Nestlé told this publication.