Smart and Sustainable Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG) Management System: from waste to resources

The coffee-making process generates large quantities of coffee grounds. CGS is often disposed of as general garbage and transported to landfill sites, producing methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Consequently, an efficient waste management system based on the circular economy and the recovery of its waste avoids high operating costs and emissions by reducing unnecessary collection trips and long haul journeys. This proposal sets out a vision for an intelligent waste management framework that uses real-time data and makes decisions accordingly. The decision, via decision support tools, includes a flexible design and configuration of a reverse logistics network and an intelligent vehicle routing system to decide when to send the truck for collection and which route to take. This new system will prevent bin overflow and waste contamination, and reduce operating costs.