At this year’s Ecomondo fair, two radically different approaches offered glimpses into how data, automation, and artificial intelligence are transforming waste handling. While one focuses on infrastructure-level digitalization, the other targets granular sorting precision. Both point toward the same goal: cutting inefficiencies, reducing environmental impact, and lowering operational risk in waste management.
In wastewater treatment, meaningful innovation is often buried under concrete involving costly retrofits, structural overhauls, or new builds. But a quietly growing Italian company is proving that smarter systems don’t have to be heavier ones. In fact, they may just float.
“If you plan and schedule maintenance operations properly, you can, as a company, unlock capacity you didn’t even know you had,” explains Roger Ham, Global Asset Lifecycle Lead at Kerry Group. “It’s like getting two technicians for free—without hiring anyone.”
Drones have rapidly gone from experimental gadgets to essential tools in industrial maintenance. Once used just for basic visual checks, they now carry advanced sensors and cameras that can detect leaks, corrosion, and damage with high precision.
The European Union is initiating a significant shift toward greater accountability in the battery industry. Following the introduction of the EU Batteries Regulation (EUBR) in summer 2023, the processes surrounding battery manufacturing, usage, and recycling across Europe are being fundamentally redefined.
