Many of us struggle to figure out which items can be recycled while sorting our rubbish at home. Machines in sorting plants can have the same problem. This prevents many countries from achieving the recycling rates they would like.
But new “invisible barcode” technology is being piloted which aims to fix the problem.
The trial involves a consortium of some of the world’s biggest brands, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle and PepsiCo, who were brought together by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
Watch a video interview, produced for the BBC.
Produced, filmed and edited by BBC digital reporter Dougal Shaw.