Food wastage is one of the biggest problems plaguing the hospitality and F&B industries in the world. Smart dustbins could be the solution! AI-powered dustbins have made their way into the kitchens of restaurants and caterers, especially those suffering buffets. Here’s why.
AI-Powered Dustbins The Solution To Global Food Wastage In Service Industry
A report by The Star states why dustbins could be the light at the end of the tunnel for restaurateurs. Leanpath Inc., Winnow Solutions Ltd and Orbisk B.V. are two companies that provide hospitality and F&B industries with high-tech trash cans. Think dustbins with smart cameras, touchscreens and even scales. These AI-powered dustbins gather even the minutest details about the type of food being disposed of whether it was chopped or cooked.
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The aim behind enabling kitchens with AI-powered dustbins is to help the industry prevent billions of dollars worth of food from being wasted. As a result, it helps reduce a significant source of greenhouse gases. Leanpath’s AI-powered dustbins are used in over 4000 kitchens. This includes places like Marriott hotels, Google offices and even university dining halls. The line of trackers lets chefs select the type of food, the reason for disposal and even the time of the day.
Waste Bins Enabled With Smart Cameras, Touchscreens & Scales
Some models even have smart cameras installed to assist employees in visualising the accumulation of wasted food. Dutch startup Orbisk’s waste calculators helped Carnival cruise ships cut down on food waste across its entire fleet by 45% between 2019 and 2024. However, it requires a lot of self-tracking methods. Orbisk’s technology helped detect the massive amount of unfinished fries served with burgers getting chucked into dustbins.
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This helped them to reconsider the portion size. Similarly, sushi chefs at Bonsai Sushi restaurants were scrapping a massive amount of cucumber. This is because chefs mainly used the outside of the veggie. However, such AI-driven technologies have their limitations. Firstly, it doesn’t detect the cut of the meat disposed of. Next, this is not applicable to takeaway restaurants. Orbisk’s technology cost between US$2,000(₹1.6 lakhs) and US$8,000 (₹6.6 lakhs).
Meanwhile, do you think AI-powered dustbin is truly the answer to food wastage in the restaurant industry?
Cover Image Courtesy: @orbisk.nl/ Instagram and Leanpath/ Website
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