Resource collection system and computer program

Abstract

To provide a resource collection system for promoting collection of plastic waste which is a resource to be recycled.SOLUTION: A resource collection system includes a processor. The processor displays location of a collecting box for collecting plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made from recyclable materials as resources on a user terminal's map. When the processor confirms that a resource has been correctly inserted into the collecting box by the user holding the user terminal, it executes a process of providing a reward to the user for the insertion of the resource.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a resource recovery system and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] Technologies related to the recovery of resources to be recycled have been disclosed. For example, in Patent Document 1, in response to the provision of resources to be recycled, an event acquisition unit that acquires a resource collection event, a provider information acquisition unit that acquires provider identification information for identifying a provider that provided the resources, and a provider recording unit that records in a provider database the association between the collection event identification information for identifying the resource collection event and the provider identification information of the resource provider are disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is plastic waste as a resource to be recycled, and recycling boxes for collecting plastic waste are installed in various places in the city. However, the current mechanism is not sufficient to promote the collection of plastic waste.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a resource recovery system and a computer program that can promote the recovery of plastic waste, which is a resource to be recycled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a resource recovery system including a processor that presents on a map of a user terminal a location of a collection box for collecting plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources, and when a user having the user terminal confirms that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box, executes a process of giving a reward 3 for the input of the resources to the user.

[0007] The processor may execute a process of confirming that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by analyzing an image of the collection box captured by the user terminal and an image of the resources input into the collection box by the user.

[0008] The processor may execute a process of confirming that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by obtaining information regarding the weight of the collection box.

[0009] The processor may execute a process of confirming that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by obtaining sensing data from a device provided in the collection box.

[0010] The processor may execute a process of giving a reward corresponding to the input amount of the resources to the user as the reward, and exponentially increasing the amount of the reward as the input amount increases.

[0011] The processor may give a reward corresponding to the type of the resources to the user as the reward.

[0012] The processor may execute a process of giving a coupon that can be used when purchasing a product sold in a store where the collection box is installed to the user as the reward.

[0013] The processor may execute a process of changing the amount of the reward given to the user according to the moving distance of the user from a predetermined location to the location of the collection box.

[0014] The collection box is connectable to a network, and the processor may give the reward to the user by using information about the resources transmitted from the collection box through the network.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer is provided with a program that presents, on a map of a user terminal, the location of a collection box that collects plastic waste or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources, and when a user having the user terminal confirms that the resources have been correctly put into the collection box, executes a process of giving a reward to the user for the input of the resources.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a resource recovery system and a computer program that can promote the recovery of plastic resources to be recycled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a resource recovery system according to this embodiment. The resource recovery system according to this embodiment includes a server 10, a user terminal 20, and a collection box 30. The server 10, the user terminal 20, and the collection box 30 are connected to a network 40 such as the Internet.

[0020] The resource recovery system according to this embodiment is a system for promoting resource recovery by users. When a user inputs resources into a collection box 30 that recovers plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources, the system gives a reward to the user who made the input according to the amount or type of the resources input by the user. Plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials means waste made of materials clearly stated to be recyclable, and is waste made of materials printed or engraved with an identification mark designated based on the Law for Promoting the Effective Use of Resources, which indicates that it is recyclable, or a logo mark formulated by the material manufacturer. The resource recovery system gives the user a coupon that can be used when purchasing products sold at the store where the collection box 30 is installed as a reward. As a specific example of the coupon, the resource recovery system gives the user a coupon that can purchase the product at a discounted price or at a reduced price when purchasing a product manufactured by recycling resources, a coupon that can purchase products sold at the store where the collection box 30 is installed at a discounted price or at a reduced price, points that can be exchanged for prizes, etc.

[0021] The server 10 executes a process of presenting information to a user terminal 20 used by a user who receives a reward from the resource recovery system. Further, the server 10 analyzes the amount or type of resources input into the collection box 30, calculates a reward according to the amount of resources input into the collection box 30 or the type of resources input into the collection box 30, and executes a process of giving a reward to the user who input the resources.

[0022] The user terminal 20 is a terminal used by the user of the resource recovery system, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal 20 communicates with the server 10 through the network 40 and displays information related to resource recovery. Although the specific display content will be described in detail later, the user terminal 20 displays the location of the collection box 30 for collecting resources together with map data. In addition, the user terminal 20 presents information regarding the rewards given to the user who has put resources into the collection box 30. The user terminal 20 may present the above map data and information regarding the rewards by executing an application of the resource recovery system.

[0023] The collection box 30 is a box installed to collect resources from the users of the resource recovery system, and is installed in public facilities such as government offices, schools, libraries, and stores that sell goods. The shape of the collection box 30 may be any shape such as a box shape or a cylindrical shape. The collection box 30 is connectable to the network 40 and is provided with a communication interface for connecting to the network 40. In addition, the collection box 30 may be provided with a sensor for detecting that resources have been input. The sensor for detecting that resources have been detected is, for example, a weight sensor, a camera, or the like.

[0024] The user brings resources to the installation location of the collection box 30 displayed on the map data by the user terminal 20 and inputs the resources into the collection box 30. The user uses the user terminal 20 to send information indicating that the resources have been input into the collection box 30 to the server 10. The server 10 may use the information sensed by the sensor of the collection box 30 and transmitted from the collection box 30 to confirm that the resources have been input into the collection box 30. When the server 10 confirms that resources have been input into the collection box 30 by the user, the server 10 gives a reward corresponding to the amount or type of the input resources to the user.

[0025] By having such a configuration, the resource recovery system according to this embodiment can motivate users to recover plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources. In addition, the resource recovery system according to this embodiment can facilitate the recovery of recyclable biomass plastic waste or biodegradable plastic waste, which is easy to recycle or dispose of during resource recovery. Further, when disposing of mixed waste composed of recyclable materials and non-recyclable materials, the resource recovery system according to this embodiment can separate and dispose of recyclable materials from the mixed waste to give a reward, thereby promoting users to separate and dispose of mixed waste.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 10.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface (I / F) 17. Each configuration is connected to be communicable with each other via a bus 19.

[0028] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each unit. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a work area. The CPU 11 performs control of the above-described respective configurations and various arithmetic processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, a reward setting program for promoting resource recovery by users is stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0029] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 14 is composed of a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0030] The input unit 15 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various inputs.

[0031] The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The display unit 16 may adopt a touch panel method and function as the input unit 15.

[0032] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the user terminal 20 and the collection box 30. For example, standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0033] When executing the above reward setting program, the server 10 realizes various functions by using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the server 10 will be described.

[0034] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 10.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the server 10 has, as a functional configuration, a map data generation unit 101, an acquisition unit 102, an analysis unit 103, and a reward setting unit 104. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 11 reading out and executing the reward setting program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0036] The map data generation unit 101 generates map data showing the location of the collection box 30, which is displayed on the user terminal 20. Information on the location of the collection box 30 is stored in advance in the storage 14, and the map data generation unit 101 generates map data showing the location of the collection box 30 by reading the information on the location of the collection box 30 stored in the storage 14.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the map data generated by the map data generation unit 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the map data generation unit 101 generates map data 110 in which the location of the collection box 30 on the map is indicated by a mark 111 such as an icon, symbol, or mark. In the example of FIG. 4, the mark 111 is shown as a star, but the mark displayed in the map data 110 is not limited to such an example. The server 10 transmits the map data generated by the map data generation unit 101 to the user terminal 20 in response to an access from the user terminal 20.

[0038] The acquisition unit 102 acquires information on the resources collected in the collection box 30, which is transmitted from the user terminal 20 and the collection box 30. For example, the acquisition unit 102 acquires, as information on the resources collected in the collection box 30, an image of the collection box 30 and an image of the resources put into the collection box 30, which are captured by the user terminal 20. Also, for example, the acquisition unit 102 acquires, as information on the resources collected in the collection box 30, the position information of the user terminal 20 when the user puts the resources into the collection box 30. Also, for example, the acquisition unit 102 acquires, as information on the resources collected in the collection box 30, the information sensed by the collection box 30. The information sensed by the collection box 30 may be, for example, information on the weight of the collection box 30, an image inside the collection box 30, etc. Note that these are merely examples, and the acquisition unit 102 acquires various information for the analysis unit 103 to analyze whether the resources have been correctly put into the collection box 30.

[0039] The acquisition unit 102 acquires information regarding the resources collected in the collection box 30 from the user terminal 20 at the timing when the user terminal 20 transmits information. Also, the acquisition unit 102 acquires information regarding the resources collected in the collection box 30 from the collection box 30 at a predetermined timing, for example, at the timing when resources are input into the collection box 30.

[0040] The analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 using the information acquired by the acquisition unit 102. For example, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 by analyzing the image of the collection box 30 and the image of the resources input into the collection box 30 captured by the user terminal 20.

[0041] More specifically, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether a barcode, symbol, or other printed matter for identifying the collection box 30 is shown in the image captured by the user terminal 20. Also, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the resources to be collected in the collection box 30 are shown in the image captured by the user terminal 20. Also, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the state of the resources to be collected in the collection box 30 being input into the collection box 30 is shown in the still image or moving image captured by the user terminal 20. Also, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the shooting date and time included in the metadata attached to the image captured by the user terminal 20 is within a predetermined period from the transmission date and time when information indicating that resources have been input into the collection box 30 is transmitted from the user terminal 20. Also, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether the location information included in the metadata attached to the image captured by the user terminal 20 is within a predetermined range from the location of the collection box 30.

[0042] For example, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 using the information transmitted from the collection box 30. More specifically, the analysis unit 103 collates the transmission date and time when information indicating that resources have been input into the collection box 30 was transmitted from the user terminal 20 with the time-series information of the weight of the collection box 30 to analyze whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30. If resources have been input into the collection box 30, the weight of the collection box 30 increases, so the analysis unit 103 can analyze whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 by using the time-series information of the weight of the collection box 30.

[0043] For example, the analysis unit 103 analyzes whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 using the time-series information sensed by the collection box 30. Specifically, the analysis unit 103 collates the transmission date and time when information indicating that resources have been input into the collection box 30 was transmitted from the user terminal 20 with the sensing data by a sensor provided at the input port or inside the collection box 30 to analyze whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30.

[0044] When performing each of the above-described analyses, the analysis unit 103 may use a pre-generated learned model by machine learning. For example, the analysis unit 103 inputs the image captured by the user terminal 20, the information indicating that resources have been input into the collection box 30, the time-series information of the weight of the collection box 30, and other information acquired by the acquisition unit 102 into the learned model, and analyzes whether resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 using the output from the learned model.

[0045] When the analysis unit 103 analyzes that resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30, the reward setting unit 104 sets a reward corresponding to the amount or type of the input resources to be given to the user who has input resources into the collection box 30. For example, when the amount of the input resources exceeds a predetermined threshold, the reward setting unit 104 gives the user coupons that can be used to purchase products sold in the store where the collection box 30 is installed at a discounted price or for free, points that can be exchanged for prizes, etc. In this case, the reward setting unit 104 may set the amount of the discount, the discount rate, and the amount of points according to the amount of the input resources. Also, the reward setting unit 104 may set the reward to be given to the user so that the amount of the reward increases exponentially, that is, accelerates, as the amount of the input resources increases.

[0046] When the reward setting unit 104 inputs resources into the collection box 30 on a specific day, it may set the reward to be given to the user so that more rewards are given compared to when resources are input into the collection box 30 on other days. For example, when the reward setting unit 104 inputs resources into the collection box 30 on the day when the resource collection event is being carried out, it may set the reward to be given to the user so that more rewards are given compared to when resources are input into the collection box 30 on other days.

[0047] Also, the reward setting unit 104 may set the reward so that the reward corresponding to the amount or type of the input resources changes according to the moving distance from a predetermined location such as the user's home to the location of the collection box 30 where the resources are input. For example, the longer the distance from a predetermined location such as the user's home to the location of the collection box 30 where the resources are input, the larger the amount of the discount given as the reward, the higher the discount rate, or the larger the amount of points. Note that the moving distance of the user is obtained based on the position information measured by the positioning unit 28 of the user terminal 20.

[0048] In addition, when the reward setting unit 104 gives a reward to a user who has invested resources in the collection box 30, it may randomly set the amount of the reward. That is, even when the same amount of resources is invested in the collection box 30, the reward setting unit 104 may give different rewards to the user. By randomly setting the amount of the reward by the reward setting unit 104, the server 10 can provide the user with the gameplay when resources are invested in the collection box 30. For example, the reward setting unit 104 usually sets to give points equivalent to 1 yen by investing resources in the collection box 30, but it may also be set to give points equivalent to 1000 yen by investing resources in the collection box 30 at a ratio of 1 in 100 people.

[0049] In addition, when the reward setting unit 104 gives a reward to a user who has invested resources in the collection box 30, it may display a predetermined advertisement on the user terminal 20 and then give the user a reward.

[0050] By having such a configuration, the server 10 Recyclable can provide the motivation to collect plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of materials as resources to the user who holds the user terminal 20.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 20.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, the user terminal 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a storage 24, an input unit 25, a display unit 26, a communication interface (I / F) 27, and a positioning unit 28. Each component is connected to be communicable with each other via a bus 19.

[0053] The CPU 21 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 21 reads a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 24 and executes the program using the RAM 23 as a working area. The CPU 21 performs various arithmetic operations according to the program recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage 24. When the CPU 21 executes a program, the user terminal 20 appropriately communicates with the server 10, and the transmission and reception of data necessary for the program are performed between the server 10 and the user terminal 20.

[0054] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 23 temporarily stores a program or data as a working area. The storage 24 is composed of a storage device such as an SSD or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. The storage 24 stores a reward granting program for granting a reward to the user in response to the input of resources to the collection box 30. The reward granting program provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to the user of the user terminal 20. An example of the GUI provided by the reward granting program will be described later.

[0055] The input unit 25 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various inputs.

[0056] The display unit 26 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and displays various information. The display unit 26 may adopt a touch panel method and function as the input unit 25.

[0057] The communication interface 27 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the server 10. For this communication, for example, standards of mobile communication systems such as 4G and 5G, or standards of wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0058] The positioning unit 28 includes a positioning module using a satellite positioning system such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) module or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) module, and positions the position information of the user terminal 20 based on the satellite positioning signal. By the positioning unit 28 positioning the position information of the user terminal 20 and the server 10 acquiring the position information of the user terminal 20, the reward setting unit 104 can calculate the moving distance from a predetermined location such as the user's home to the location of the collection box 30 where resources were invested.

[0059] The user terminal 20 uses the position information measured by the positioning unit 28 to display the map data generated by the server 10 on the display unit 26. For example, when displaying the map data, the user terminal 20 displays the map data on the display unit 26 so that the position of the user terminal 20 measured by the positioning unit 28 is at the center.

[0060] Next, the operation of the server 10 will be described.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the reward setting process by the server 10. The reward setting process is performed by the CPU 11 reading the reward setting program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and expanding and executing it in the RAM 13. The CPU 11 executes the reward setting process shown in FIG. 6, for example, at the timing when a request for awarding a reward is transmitted from the user terminal 20.

[0062] In step S101, the CPU 11 acquires information about the resources input into the collection box 30 from the user terminal 20. The information about the resources input into the collection box 30 transmitted from the user terminal 20 includes, for example, an image of the collection box 30 and an image of the resources input into the collection box 30 captured by the user terminal 20, and the position information of the user terminal 20 when the user inputs resources into the collection box 30.

[0063] Also, in step S102, the CPU 11 acquires information regarding the resources input into the collection box 30 from the collection box 30. The information regarding the resources input into the collection box 30, which is transmitted from the collection box 30, includes the information sensed by the collection box 30. The information sensed by the collection box 30 may be, for example, the weight information of the collection box 30, an image inside the collection box 30, or the like.

[0064] Note that the server 10 may execute the acquisition processes of steps S101 and S102 prior to the reward setting process.

[0065] Subsequently, in step S103, the CPU 11 analyzes whether the resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 using the information acquired in steps S101 and S102. Since the analysis by the CPU 11 as to whether the resources have been correctly input into the collection box 30 is the same as the analysis by the above-described analysis unit 103, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0066] Subsequently, in step S104, the CPU 11 sets the reward to be given to the user based on the result of the analysis in step S103. Since the setting of the reward to be given to the user by the CPU 11 is the same as the setting of the reward by the above-described reward setting unit 104, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0067] By executing such processing, the server 10 can provide an incentive for the user who holds the user terminal 20 to collect plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of the Recyclable material as a resource.

[0068] Subsequently, an example of the screen displayed by the user terminal 20 when the user uses the resource collection system is shown.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the user terminal 20. The screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 26 when the CPU 21 reads out and executes a reward granting program for the resource recovery system stored in, for example, the storage 24.

[0070] What is shown in FIG. 7 is an example of an initial screen of a reward granting program for the resource recovery system. In FIG. 7, a resource recycling button 201 for transmitting to the server 10 that resources have been input into the collection box 30 and a reward acquisition button 202 for the user to acquire a reward for the input of resources into the collection box 30 are shown as an example displayed on the display unit 26. When the resource recycling button 201 is selected by the user, the user terminal 20 displays on the display unit 26 a message for prompting the user to input resources. In this case, the user terminal 20 may display on the display unit 26 a message for photographing the resources to be input and an image of the collection box 30 into which the resources are to be input.

[0071] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the user terminal 20. The screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display unit 26 when the CPU 21 reads out and executes a reward granting program for the resource recovery system stored in, for example, the storage 24. FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 26 when the user selects the reward acquisition button 202 in FIG. 7. The reward set by the server 10 for the user is displayed on the user terminal 20 as shown in FIG. 8. By looking at the display as shown in FIG. 8, the user can know the reward for the input of resources into the collection box 30.

[0072] If the user can know how the resources they put into the collection box 30 are collected and recycled, the motivation to put resources into the collection box 30 can be enhanced. Therefore, the reward program of the resource recovery system may display information regarding the recycling of the resources put into the collection box 30 on the display unit 26. Information regarding the recycling result of the resources can be acquired from, for example, the server 10. The server 10 calculates information regarding the recycling of the resources put into the collection box 30 using the information on the amount of resources input from each user. The calculation of the information may be executed by, for example, the analysis unit 103. The analysis unit 103 may input the information on the amount of resources input from each user into a learned model generated by machine learning and calculate the information regarding recycling using the output from the learned model. The learned model may be a large language model. When the analysis unit 103 calculates the information regarding recycling using the large language model, the analysis unit 103 may input an instruction sentence (prompt) into the large language model to obtain a result from the large language model.

[0073] The reward program of the resource recovery system may display, on the display unit 26, a message indicating what products the recovered resources have been recycled into, such as "From the resources you put into the recycling box, [X] products of [product name] have been produced!" Also, the reward program of the resource recovery system may display, on the display unit 26, a message that can enhance the motivation for resource input into the recycling box 30, such as "If you input another [X] grams of resources into the recycling box, [X] products of [product name] can be produced!" Additionally, the reward program of the resource recovery system may display, on the display unit 26, a message regarding the obtained rewards, such as "Obtained [X] coins at the timing of resource input!" Also, the reward program of the resource recovery system may display, on the display unit 26, a message that can enhance the motivation for resource recovery into the recycling box 30, such as "This month's recycling amount is [X] grams, and the earned amount is [X] yen!" or "Your recycling ranking is [X]!" The recycling ranking may be a ranking based on the aggregation for any period, such as weekly, monthly, yearly, or past cumulative.

[0074] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these modification examples or correction examples are also naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0075] Also, the effects described in the above embodiments are illustrative or exemplary and are not limited to those described in the above embodiments. That is, the technology according to the present disclosure may exhibit other effects obvious to those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure from the description in the above embodiments, together with or instead of the effects described in the above embodiments.

[0076] Note that, in each of the above embodiments, the reward setting process in which the CPU reads and executes software (program) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of the processor in this case include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a dedicated electric circuit which is a processor having a circuit configuration dedicated to executing specific processing such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Further, the reward setting process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). Further, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0077] Also, in each of the above embodiments, an aspect in which the program for the reward setting process is stored (installed) in advance in the ROM or the storage has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Further, the program may be in a form downloaded from an external device via a network.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0078] 10 Server 20 User Terminal 30 Collection Box 40 Network

Claims

1. A resource recovery system comprising a processor, wherein the processor presents on a map of the user terminal the location of a collection box for collecting plastic waste, biomass plastic waste, or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources, and when a user having the user terminal confirms that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box, gives the user a reward for the input of the resources. The processor executes processing.

2. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing to confirm that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by analyzing an image of the collection box captured by the user terminal and an image of the resources input into the collection box by the user.

3. The resource recovery system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the processor executes processing to confirm that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by obtaining information regarding the weight of the collection box.

4. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing to confirm that the resources have been correctly input into the collection box by obtaining sensing data from equipment provided in the collection box.

5. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing to give the user a reward corresponding to the input amount of the resources as the reward, and exponentially increases the amount of the reward as the input amount increases.

6. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor gives the user a reward corresponding to the type of the resources as the reward.

7. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing to give the user a coupon that can be used when purchasing a product sold in a store where the collection box is installed as the reward.

8. The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes processing to change the amount of the reward given to the user according to the moving distance of the user from a predetermined location to the location of the collection box.

9. The collection box is connectable to a network, The resource recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the processor gives the reward to the user by using information about the resource transmitted from the collection box through the network.

10. A computer program that causes a computer to: present on a map of a user terminal the location of a collection box that collects plastic waste or biodegradable plastic waste made of recyclable materials as resources; give a reward for the input of the resource to the user when the user who holds the user terminal confirms that the resource has been correctly input into the collection box; execute a process.

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