UB Students Create AI Platform To Efficiently Manage Waste

Growing up in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, Fossong Asung Carlos couldn’t help but notice how poor waste management affected communities—from overflowing dumpsites to health risks caused by burning or improperly disposed waste.

This, he said, was challenging, and as someone who is solution-oriented, he began thinking of what he could do to help solve the problem.

That quest later resulted in Spotwaste AI, a platform he co-founded with Nchafac Evden to use artificial intelligence to identify and prioritize waste hotspots, while also connecting households with waste collectors and recycling companies. Their goal was not just to clean cities but to create a circular economy where waste becomes a resource rather than a problem.

Their AI-powered smart waste management and circular economy platform is designed to reduce litter on streets and minimize uncontrolled dumping in Cameroon, thereby connecting households directly with waste collectors and recycling companies and creating a structured waste collection system.

The app and AI system have features capable of scheduling household waste pickups; offering incentives for waste sorting (plastic, metal, organic); providing free or discounted pickups for properly sorted waste; directly redirecting recyclable materials to recycling partners; and reducing waste accumulation on streets and at dump sites.

These students from the University of Buea say they are passionate about building technology-driven environmental solutions.

“We created a demo illustrating how it works. We are still in the building phase, and we need visibility to find sponsors to bring this brilliant project to light, which will help reduce poor waste management, and we shall make our lovely Cameroon clean,” says Fossong Asung Carlos.

“Our long-term plan is to scale SpotWaste AI across major cities in Cameroon and eventually across other African countries,” he added.

According to him, they aim to build a fully integrated smart waste management ecosystem that combines AI-powered waste detection, optimized collection logistics, and circular economy connections between households, businesses, and recycling companies.

“Over time, we want to provide city authorities and private operators with predictive insights, operational dashboards, and real-time monitoring tools to make waste management data-driven, efficient, and sustainable,” he stated.

By doing so, they will ultimately reduce environmental pollution, improve public health, and transform waste from a societal problem into an economic opportunity for communities.

Efforts Yielding Fruits in Waste Management

The platform being developed by these two students could potentially be a game changer in Cameroon’s waste management system.

The company is still in the initial phase and has started gaining recognition.

Recently, they competed in the Wastehackathon organized by Durable Impact and won the first prize of 100,000 francs CFA.

Though they competed against many brilliant solutions from talented teams, they stood out because of SpotWaste AI’s practical approach to detecting waste in real time, prioritizing collection, and connecting households with recyclers—creating a full circular economy.

“The judges valued its real-world impact, scalability, and community focus, which is what helped us secure the win,” says SpotWaste AI co-founder Fossong Asung Carlos.

Household and industrial waste management in Cameroon remains a challenging task for many, including the government as a whole. Now, having a platform that can mitigate its impact, many say, is a step in the right direction.

MMI News