Indonesian Foundation Working to Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Wins Google.org Support

Google.org, the charitable arm of Google, issued an open call to organizations around the world to submit their ideas for how they could use artificial intelligence (AI) to help address societal challenges. Of the hundreds of applications, Gringgo Indonesia Foundation (Gringgo), was selected as one of 20 organizations to receive support.

Gringgo is working to address community level waste management in order to reduce ocean plastic pollution. With support from Google.org, Gringgo is creating an image recognition tool to help informal-sector waste collectors and independent waste management companies increase recycling rates and better integrate with city sanitation crews.

This activity complements Gringgo’s work with the USAID Municipal Waste Recycling Program (MWRP). Under a grant from MWRP, Gringgo is working to improve community participation and build reliable data systems for the waste ecosystem in Denpasar, Indonesia (the capital city of Bali) through establishing a crowdsourcing model and improving cooperation between community residents and the city’s solid waste management operators. Building on the lessons learned from its pilot project, Gringgo recognizes the importance of collecting and maintaining up-to-date field data on the city’s solid waste composition and ecosystem.

The Gringgo Indonesia Foundation, established in 2017, grew out of the technology startup PT Gringgo, which focused on the solid waste management sector in Bali. Gringgo’s principal goal is to positively address the urban waste crisis and the pervasive ocean plastic problems confronting communities in the fast-developing economies of Asia. Since its inception, Gringgo has been developing technology-based solutions for improving the solid waste management (SWM) systems in Bali and reducing land-based sources of plastic pollution.

Gringgo and the 19 other selected organizations will receive coaching from Google’s AI experts, Google.org grant funding from a $25 million pool, and credits and consulting from Google Cloud. They will also be offered the opportunity to join a customized six month Google Developers Launchpad Accelerator program, including guidance from the nonprofit, DataKind, to jumpstart their work.

Learn more about the USAID Municipal Waste Recycling Program here https://urban-links.org/mwrp/.