“Greedy Grimer Grand Plan” is a project developed to foster greater awareness toward trash sorting and recycling, in a fun way, to keep our environment clean and tidy. The project, which took about one year from conception to execution, was undertaken by civic-minded Pokémon employees in collaboration with like-minded team members from Coca-Cola (Japan) Co., Ltd. and IBM Japan, Ltd. The Grand Plan’s foremost aim is to help solve the problems caused by plastic trash – an issue of increasing social concern worldwide.
“Greedy Grimer” is a recycle bin specially developed for used beverage bottles and cans. What makes it different from a conventional receptacle is the incorporation of augmented intelligence (AI) technology. When a used drink container is inserted into Greedy Grimer’s “mouth,” a camera activates and the image data is instantaneously analyzed by “IBM Watson” AI. The discarded item is then automatically separated according to its material – plastic bottle, glass bottle or aluminum can – and simultaneously Greedy Grimer responds with a distinctive cry, depending on the type of material.
The results of this sorting process are also collected and posted online. This system provides users with correct knowledge of which items can be recycled and which can’t – knowledge that promotes proper sorting and recycling, in a fun way.
This unique project got underway in 2018 at a workshop organized to consider new possibilities for promoting Pokémon characters. At the workshop, employees from IBM Japan proposed a plan for Greedy Grimer that would use IoT and AI technologies to help keep our cities and towns free of trash. Then in July 2019, employees from Coca-Cola (Japan) who supported the aim of this proposal took part in an in-house hackathon organized by Coca-Cola headquarters in the U.S. This led to the launch of the joint project by members of the three companies. The first Greedy Grimer was installed in November 2020, and plans are afoot to locate these clever AI-equipped recycle bins all around Japan.
Beverage containers made of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate = PET), if properly collected, are reusable as a plastic resource. One challenge is that objects and materials other than plastic bottles are often mixed in the collection receptacle. In October 2020, the Japan Soft Drink Association (JSDA) released the results of its survey of trash disposal habits by people outside their homes. The survey asked participants where, when away from home, they tend to dispose of trash other than plastic bottles and cans. Some 52.9% of consumers responded that they put it in the receptacle alongside a vending machine. Moreover, 42.4% answered that they were unaware that the recycle bins placed next to vending machines are intended exclusively for used beverage containers. These statistics demonstrate that there still isn’t enough awareness of the role of recycle bins and the importance of sorting what one throws away. Our hope is that this project will help to resolve this current situation.
