“智能垃圾桶”将登陆英国,有望终结手动垃圾分类
A new "smart bin" could spell the end of environment-conscious families spending hours sorting tins, cartons, bottles, and cardboard for recycling.
一款新型“智能垃圾桶”即将问世,有环保意识的家庭再也不用花几个小时把锡罐子、外卖盒、瓶子和纸板箱等垃圾进行分类了。
The invention, which automatically sorts rubbish into recycling categories, is being trialed in Poland and is set to go on sale in UK within a few years.
智能垃圾桶可以自动把垃圾按照回收类目进行分类。目前这项发明正在波兰进行试运营,预计几年内就会进入英国市场。
The bin, designed by start-up company Bin.E, recognizes different type of waste via a system positioned inside the bin which uses sensors, image recognition and artificial intelligence.
这款垃圾桶是由一家名为Bin.E的初创公司设计的。垃圾桶的内置系统可以运用传感器、图形识别和人工智能等科技来辨别不同类型的垃圾。
Once waste is placed inside, the camera and sensors identify its type and place it in one of the smaller bins. Then it compresses the waste so it occupies less space.
当垃圾被倒入后,摄像头和传感器就能识别垃圾的类型,把垃圾放进相应的小垃圾桶,然后可将垃圾进行压缩以减少其所占空间。
News of the launch comes after this newspaper revealed that more than a million households are being forced to accept bin collections every three or four weeks, because councils are trying to force them to recycle more.
这款垃圾桶发布之前,曾有报道称因议会希望当地家庭能更多地回收垃圾,有超过100万家庭的垃圾每隔三到四周才收集处理一次。
Data compiled by The Telegraph has revealed at least 18 councils have moved or will shortly be moving to three-weekly rubbish collections, while a further three have adopted or are trialing four-weekly collections.
《每日电讯报》收集的数据显示,至少18个地区已经实行或即将实行每三周收集一次垃圾,3个地区甚至已经在实行或试验每四周收集一次垃圾了。
While reducing general bin collections councils are increasing the frequency of recycling collections in a bid to change people's behaviour.
虽然普通垃圾收集的次数减少了,但各地方议会增加了回收再利用垃圾的收集次数,力求改变居民的环保习惯。
It is thought that the bin could be stocked by department stores such as John Lewis, which said it is introducing new hi-tech recycling bins to satisfy increasing customer appetite for them.
据传,约翰•路易斯等百货公司正在考虑使用这款垃圾桶。约翰•路易斯曾透露正在引进一款新型的高科技回收垃圾桶,以满足日益增长的消费需求。
Matt Thomas, utility buyer at John Lewis, said: "We’ve recently seen a jump in specialist bins sales, with a 25 percent increase in the last few months alone. We have noticed our customers are becoming more and more sustainability focused, opting for dual compartment recycling bins that make it far easier to recycle different types of waste.
约翰•路易斯家用设施采购员马特•托马斯说:“在短短几个月里,我们的回收专用垃圾桶的销量就大幅增长了25%。我们发现,顾客们越来越注重可持续发展了,他们都会选择双格回收垃圾桶,以便于回收各种垃圾。”
"In response to this demand, we are really excited to introduce a new voice and sensor activated smart bin this autumn/winter season – designed to use innovative technology to make recycling more efficient and functional for the everyday home."
“为了满足这种需求,我们会在秋冬季引进一款配备声控传感器的新型智能垃圾桶,我们对此充满期待。这款垃圾桶运用创新科技,能使日常的家庭垃圾分类更加高效和实用。”
Bin.E's official release on the market will take place in 2018, however at first only a larger version designed for offices will be available.
Bin.E将在2018年正式发售这款产品,但在初期只能买到为办公场所设计的加大版垃圾桶。
The office bin will retail at £430 while corporate customers will need to pay a £107 subscription fee for an accompanying smartphone app, which hooks them up with collection services.
办公用垃圾桶的零售价将为430英镑,购买的公司还要为配套的手机应用支付107英镑的订购费用,以便与垃圾收集服务站联系。
A spokesman at Bin.E said the home version of the bin will be cheaper and will not include a monthly payment.
Bin.E的一个发言人表示,家用版垃圾桶会更便宜,也无须每月支付费用。
They added: "After the office version, we plan to create an outdoor version and later the home version. We decided to go for the outdoor version for public areas first because it is more difficult to organize an efficient waste segregating system than in our homes."
Bin.E补充道:“我们计划在办公室版垃圾桶上市后开发户外版,随后是家用版。我们决定先为公共场所开发户外版,因为在公共场所建立一个高效的垃圾分类系统比在家庭中难得多。”