(MENAFN) Artificial intelligence could play a key role in addressing the global waste crisis while simultaneously opening new economic avenues, according to reports citing Ambarish Mitra, co-founder of UK-based technology company Greyparrot.

“It's not just about bins and recycling. It's really about redesigning the economy. And there is a very big economic opportunity,” Mitra said during the Zero Waste Forum in Istanbul.

Mitra noted that global waste contributes significantly to the climate crisis, responsible for approximately 4.5%-6% of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly due to plastics.

“Global greenhouse emissions are connected to plastic production and disposal,” he explained.

While materials such as metals, aluminum, and cardboard are generally more recyclable, much of what is produced still ends up lost to the environment, Mitra pointed out.

“Zero waste is a climate action,” he emphasized, highlighting that recovering every piece of material reduces the need for natural resource extraction, lowers energy consumption, and cuts carbon emissions.

He also suggested that waste should be viewed as “misplaced resources” rather than a burden. “We shouldn't call it waste management. We should call it material asset management,” he said, noting that improving waste handling could reduce global emissions by up to 10%, aiding efforts to meet the 1.5C climate target.

This target, established under the Paris Agreement, aims to limit the rise in global average temperatures to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, significantly mitigating the most severe effects of climate change.

Mitra reiterated that effectively addressing waste requires more than improved recycling—it demands a fundamental redesign of economic systems.

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