Have you ever seen a “zero” symbol on the side of a recycling bin? If so, it might have been an invisible barcode. If you are someone who wants to know what invisible barcodes are and how are they being used in the recycling process then you have come to the right place.
What Is an Invisible Barcode?
For years retailers have been using barcodes to track products, but in the future, these methods will be replaced by an invisible barcode. This means that retailers could use advanced technology to scan a product and know its price. Invisible barcodes are digital tags that act as a replacement for traditional barcodes. The barcodes are printed on the packaging using ultraviolet ink or varnish. This ink cannot be seen by the naked eye and is only visible when you point a specialised scanner towards them.
How Was the Technology Invented and How Can It Revolutionise Recycling
These invisible barcodes were developed by the Netherlands Company, RecycleNow. It uses the barcode to identify valuable materials and gives these materials a higher grade than non-labelled items. This allows for better separation of materials and reduces the need for manual sorting.
The way that this technology is used has potential to revolutionise recycling processes. It can not only help businesses or just the local economy. This technology has the potential to have a positive impact on the global economy.
More and more businesses are eyeing towards creating a global circular economy which means that they are trying to recycle as much waste as they can for productive purposes. So instead of just dumping waste in landfills, it is being used for different purposes like generating electricity.
If you are someone who has had difficulty in deciding what waste to throwaway and what waste to put in the recycling bin then you are not alone. People all over the world have this confusion. The same way the machines at sorting and recycling plants may face similar issues. It can become really difficult for machines to filter recyclable waste from other forms of waste. This is where invisible barcodes come into play. The invisible barcodes technology can help these machines separate and sort different types of waste material.
Limitations of Invisible Barcodes Technology
Even though invisible barcodes technology is very promising when it comes to boosting sustainability and circular economy. However, there are still some limitations with this technology which can cause hurdles before it can be implemented onto a large scale level. The most significant limitation is that only specific types of recyclable goods can be separated using this technology.
So to answer the question “can invisible barcodes revolutionise recycling?” We can say that Yes! it does have the potential to revolutionise recycling but it still has a long way to go. It has come a long way from traditional barcodes technology but it still isn’t ready to be implemented at a larger level. More research and advancements in technology is needed for the invisible barcode technology before it can fully revolutionise recycling of waste material.