In an effort to track plastic waste dumped into the ocean, Ellie Mackay and Peter Koehler are teaching drones to detect plastic waste on British beaches. The data collected by the drones are uploaded onto Zooniverse so that others can mark areas where plastic is found to help make cleanup efforts more efficient.  

One of the most common uses of drones in the solid waste and recycling industry has been to take aerial photos or videos of facilities. Within large solid waste and recycling facilities, drones can photograph areas that are less accessible to allow troubleshooting. But that’s only the beginning of what these tools might be able to do for the industry. Industry experts are predicting that over the next few years, drones and other technologies will continue to reshape the industry.

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