Detailed description of project  

cleverEATER (clever E-wAsTE Recovery) is a nine-month socio-technical experimentation project that takes place in Prijedor, designed to increase the city’s recycling rate—currently under 1%—by deploying a hybrid, AI-powered selective waste collection system. Built on the EasyBin platform, the solution utilizes smart bins equipped with IoT sensors and computer vision modules that automatically classify deposits like plastics, metals, and e-waste. This technical precision is paired with a citizen-driven validation loop, where participants use a mobile app and QR tags to confirm or correct the system’s detection, earning “eco-points” through a gamified reward scheme. This dual approach not only improves AI accuracy over time but also fosters deep behavioral change among at least 300 citizens. By the end of the pilot, the project will achieve TRL 9, providing municipal authorities with real-time dashboards for route optimization and a scalable, data-driven blueprint to transform waste into a valuable resource for the circular economy.  

Type and scope of work provided  

• IoT & AI Deployment: Installing smart bins equipped with sensors (weight/fill-level) for automated material classification (e.g., e-waste, plastics).  

• Software Engineering: Developing the EasyBin cloud platform for real-time waste flow analytics and a mobile app for QR user identification and disposal confirmation.  

• System Integration: Creating bidirectional data loops where citizen feedback retrains AI models and provides municipal waste companies with route-optimization dashboards.  

• Social Engineering: Implementing a gamification engine featuring eco-points and neighborhood competitions to engage at least 300 citizens and 150 households.  

• Environmental Monitoring: Generating granular datasets to quantify landfill diversion, CO2 savings, and recycling KPIs for evidence-based policy feedback.  

CleverEATER is funded through cascading funds in the scope of the project CLIMABOROUGH, which is co-funded by the European Union and CINEA. CLIMABOROUGH has the ambition to bridge the gap between design and implementation of urban innovations, particularly in the face of climatic change and its consequential needs for adaptation and mitigation.