Method for estimating the amount of product recycled, system for estimating the amount of recycled, and program for estimating the amount of recycled

Abstract

The objective is to reduce the cost and effort required to identify the amount of recycled material obtained from used products that is eligible for trading, in a method for estimating the amount of recycled products. [Solution] The method for estimating the amount of product recycled includes an acquisition step (S2) of acquiring identification information of used products, and an estimation step (S4) of estimating the amount of recycled material obtained from used products, which is the amount subject to transaction, based on the acquired identification information and predetermined corresponding information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for estimating the recycling amount of products, a recycling amount estimation system, and a recycling amount estimation program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an evaluation apparatus and an evaluation method for deriving a processing method that minimizes the recycling cost and environmental load of an evaluation target product. In this evaluation method, user selection of products is accepted, all disassembly methods of the evaluation product and recycling methods corresponding to each disassembly method are derived, and based on the utility used in the disassembly and recycling methods of each recycling method and cost unit price information, the cost and environmental load are calculated, and a processing method that minimizes the cost and environmental load is output.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for achieving high circulation in the resource cycle of product production, use, collection of used products, and resource reuse through resource utilization. As a method for achieving this high circulation of resources, the inventors considered that when a company such as a product manufacturing company collects used products from users or construction contractors and delivers them to a recycling company, the recycling company issues a certificate specifying the transaction target amount of the recovered material obtained from the used products. Here, "recovered material" is a material recovered from used products in order to produce recycled materials that can be used for other things such as products. "Transaction target amount" is the weight of the recovered material that can be used to produce recycled materials, and is the recycling amount that is the target of the transaction.

[0005] In this case, when the company that received the certificate discloses the amount of fresh and recycled materials used in the materials for a new product, it is conceivable that they could indicate the amount obtained by subtracting the amount of traded material specified in the certificate from the amount of fresh material used as the "deemed fresh material amount." By bringing this deemed fresh material amount close to zero, it is thought that the company's contribution to resource conservation can be demonstrated.

[0006] However, if the amount of recovered material is obtained by actually performing mechanical or chemical processing or measurement after separation and crushing operations in order to determine the "tradable quantity" of used products, the cost and labor involved in determining the tradeable quantity can increase significantly.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to reduce the cost and effort required to identify the tradeable quantity of recovered materials obtained from used products in product recycling estimation methods, estimation systems, and estimation programs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure is a method for estimating the amount of recycled products, which includes an acquisition step of acquiring identification information of used products, and an estimation step of estimating the amount of recycled materials obtained from used products, which is the amount subject to trading, based on the acquired identification information and predetermined corresponding information.

[0009] One aspect of this disclosure is a product recycling volume estimation system, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires identification information of used products, and an estimation unit that estimates the amount of recycled material obtained from used products, which is the amount subject to transaction, based on the identification information and predetermined correspondence information.

[0010] A product recycling amount estimation program, which is one aspect of this disclosure, is a program that causes a computer to execute the product recycling amount estimation method of this disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to a method, estimation system, and estimation program for estimating the amount of recycled products, which are aspects of this disclosure, it is not necessary to actually perform separation and crushing operations, followed by mechanical or chemical processing or measurement, to obtain the amount of recovered material obtained from used products in order to identify the amount of recovered material that is eligible for trading. This reduces the cost and man-hours required to identify the amount of material eligible for trading. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This figure shows the fresh material content of conventional products (a), the fresh material content of new products (b), and the estimated fresh material content of future new products (c). [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the method for estimating the amount of recycled used products and the method for calculating the deemed fresh material amount of new products according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the product recycling amount estimation system of the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows a table representing the trading volume for each material corresponding to the first attribute, used in the method for estimating the amount of product recycled. [Figure 5] This figure shows a table representing the trading volume for each material corresponding to the second attribute used in the method for estimating the amount of product recycled. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The recycling amount estimation method, estimation system, and estimation program related to this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Using Figures 1 and 2, the recycling amount estimation method for a product according to an embodiment, and the method for calculating the deemed fresh material amount of the product, including the estimation method, will be explained.

[0014] Figure 1 shows the amount of fresh material in a conventional product (a), the amount of fresh material in a new product (b), and the estimated amount of fresh material in a future new product (c). Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the method for estimating the amount of recycled used products in the embodiment and the method for calculating the estimated amount of fresh material in a new product.

[0015] "Deemed fresh material quantity" is a concept defined in this embodiment. For example, when a company that has developed or produced a new product makes an announcement about the new product, it is conceivable that they could demonstrate their contribution to resource conservation by showing, for example, the amount of recycled material and fresh material used in the conventional product as shown in Figure 1(a), and the amount of recycled material and fresh material used in the new product as shown in Figure 1(b), thereby showing that the proportion of fresh material has decreased.

[0016] In this embodiment, for example, a company producing a new product hands over used products of conventional products belonging to the same group as the new product, for a specific material, to a recycler. The recycler then obtains a certificate confirming that recyclable material is recovered from the used product, and that a tradeable quantity, which is the amount of recovered material that can be traded as recycled material, is obtained from that recovered material. Here, the "tradeable quantity" is determined by multiplying the weight of the recovered material obtained from the used product by the recycler through disassembly, sorting, etc., by a predetermined coefficient, which is the recycling rate, depending on the type of recovered material and the recycling method described later.

[0017] For example, consider a company that develops and produces a new product, and for a specific material used in the new product, it shows the amount of recycled and fresh material used as shown in Figure 1(c). In this case, let A be the total number of conventional used products (estimated value) that belong to the same group as the new product, and let B be the total weight of the traded quantity of the specific material identified by multiple certificates of used products. In this case, the amount obtained by subtracting the traded quantity per unit C, which is obtained by B / A, from the fresh material quantity D per unit of the new product is defined as the deemed fresh material quantity E. That is, E = DC. In this case, by setting the deemed fresh material quantity E to 0, or approaching 0, it is possible to show the contribution of the company that develops and produces the new product to resource conservation.

[0018] On the one hand, in this case, it is necessary to specify the transaction target quantity of the recycled materials. For this specification, in fact, it is conceivable for recyclers to calculate and obtain the quantity of recycled materials by actually disassembling or crushing used products and then performing mechanical or chemical processing and measurement. However, in this case, the cost and man-hours may increase significantly for mechanical or chemical processing and measurement. According to the method, system, and program of the embodiment described below, such inconveniences can be prevented.

[0019] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the recycled quantity estimation method of the embodiment includes an information acquisition step (S2), an attribute determination step (S3), and an estimation step (S4). These steps are executed by the recycler using the recycled quantity estimation system described below.

[0020] First, in the collection step (S1), for example, when a construction contractor performs work to replace conventional products such as lighting fixtures and refrigerators that have been used for a long time in a building or facility with new products, the used products are collected from the site. Then, the production company of the new product picks up and collects the used products from the construction contractor. In addition, in the collection step, the production company of the new product may directly pick up and collect from the user. Hereinafter, the production company of the new product is referred to as the collection company.

[0021] Next, the collection company delivers the used products to the recycler. Therefore, the recycler executes an information acquisition step of causing the recycled quantity estimation system 10 to acquire the identification information of the used products using the input device 14 of the recycled quantity estimation system 10 shown in FIG. 3 or the code reader 30 (S2 in FIG. 2). The "identification information" is an identification number, identification symbol, identification character string, or a combination thereof of the used product. The identification information may include an attribute that is the type of product such as a lighting fixture or a refrigerator, or may be only that attribute. The identification information may include the identification information of the group to which the used product belongs among the attributes of the used product.

[0022] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the recycling amount estimation system 10. The recycling amount estimation system includes an estimation device 12, which is composed of a computer, and a code reading device 30. The recycling amount estimation system 10 may also consist of only the estimation device 12.

[0023] The estimation device 12 comprises an input device 14, a storage unit 16, an arithmetic unit 18, and an output device 26. The input device 14 includes a keyboard and a mouse. The storage unit 16 may be RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 16 has the function of temporarily storing read programs and processing data, and the function of pre-storing control programs, etc. The arithmetic unit 18 is composed of, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit). The arithmetic unit 18 has the function of reading and executing programs, etc., pre-stored in the storage unit 16. The output device 26 is composed of a display or a printer.

[0024] The arithmetic unit 18 executes a program to realize the functions of the main body of the apparatus, system, or method in this disclosure. The arithmetic unit 18 can be of any type as long as it can realize the functions by executing a program. For example, the arithmetic unit 18 may be a CPU. The arithmetic unit 18 may consist of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integration (LSI). Multiple electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or provided on multiple chips. Multiple chips may be aggregated in one device or provided in multiple devices. A non-temporary recording medium such as an optical disc or a hard disk drive may be used as the storage unit 16. An external storage device may be connected to the arithmetic unit 18 as a storage unit.

[0025] The storage unit 16 stores identification information entered using the input device 14 and identification information read by the code reader 30, which will be described later. The storage unit 16 also stores a table, which will be described later, containing correspondence information corresponding to the identification information.

[0026] The code reader 30 is connected to the estimation device 12 by wire or wireless connection and can read identification information from two-dimensional codes such as QR codes (registered trademarks) and barcodes provided on used products. The code reader 30 may be a smartphone or a portable information terminal such as a PDA that has a function to read two-dimensional codes such as QR codes. The code reader 30 may also be composed of a camera.

[0027] The calculation unit 18 includes an information acquisition unit 20, an attribute determination unit 22, and a transaction volume estimation unit 24. The information acquisition unit 20 acquires identification information of used products via an input device 14 or a code reader 30.

[0028] The attribute determination unit 22 determines the attributes of the used product from the identification information acquired by the information acquisition unit 20. The transaction quantity estimation unit 24 estimates the transaction quantity of recovered material obtained from the used product based on the acquired identification information and predetermined correspondence information.

[0029] Correspondence information is stored in tables 31 and 32, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, respectively, and tables 31 and 32 are stored in the storage unit 16. Figure 4 shows table 31, which represents the transaction quantity for each material corresponding to the first attribute used in the product recycling amount estimation method. Figure 5 shows table 32, which represents the transaction quantity for each material corresponding to the second attribute used in the product recycling amount estimation method. Figures 4 and 5 show tables 31 and 32 when the attributes included in the correspondence information are lighting devices and refrigerators, but the system is not limited to these, and tables for various attributes such as air conditioners, televisions, washing machines, etc., can also be set up.

[0030] In Table 31 shown in Figure 4, the vertical columns contain identification information for used products, such as Lighting Device 1, 2, 3, etc. However, this column can also contain identification numbers for multiple products belonging to the Lighting Device category. Furthermore, the number of products is not limited to five; any number can be entered. In the horizontal columns of Table 31 in Figure 4, the types of materials recovered from the products are entered. Metals A, B, and C represent different types of metals, and can be selected and entered from, for example, iron, copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, gold, etc. More than four types of metals can be entered in the table. Resins A and B represent different types of resins, and can be selected and entered from, for example, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), etc. More than five types of resins can be entered in Table 31.

[0031] In Table 31 shown in Figure 4, the trading quantities of multiple materials, which are recovered materials obtained from individual used products corresponding to the identification information, are predetermined in A11, B11, etc. The trading quantity is determined by multiplying the weight of each recovered material per individual product, which can be determined in advance by measurement, by a predetermined recycling rate.

[0032] Figure 5 shows Table 32 corresponding to used products with multiple identification information when the attribute is refrigerator. Table 32 contains the transactional quantities corresponding to multiple materials for multiple refrigerator products, but otherwise the contents of Table 32 are the same as Table 31 in Figure 4.

[0033] The trading volume estimation unit 24 of the estimation device 12 estimates the trading volume corresponding to the identification information based on the tables 31 and 32, which define the trading volumes of multiple materials corresponding to the identification information as described above, and the acquired identification information.

[0034] For example, when identification information of the lighting device 1 is input from the input device 14, the transaction quantity estimation unit 24 selects the table 31 in Figure 4, calculates the transaction quantity corresponding to each material of the lighting device 1, such as metal A and metal B, from the table 31 and the identification information, and outputs the calculation result to the output device 26, such as a display. At this time, the estimation device 12 may also have a certificate creation function and create a certificate specifying the transaction quantity, which is then output by the output device 26. The certificate may also be issued by transmitting it to the collection company's terminal PC via a communication network such as the Internet between the communication unit (not shown) of the estimation device 12.

[0035] The method for estimating the amount of product recycled according to this embodiment is performed using the recycling amount estimation system 10 described above. In step S2 shown in Figure 2, the information acquisition unit 20 of the estimation device 12 performs an acquisition step in which it acquires identification information of used products via the input device 14. Next, the attribute determination unit 22 of the estimation device 12 performs an attribute determination step in which it determines the attributes of the used products from the acquired identification information and associates the attributes with the identification information (S3).

[0036] Next, the transaction quantity estimation unit 24 of the estimation device 12 performs an estimation step to estimate the transaction quantity, which is the amount of recycled material obtained from used products, based on the acquired identification information and a table containing predetermined correspondence information (S4).

[0037] In this step, the estimation step estimates the transaction volume using tables 31 and 32, which have corresponding information stored in advance according to the attributes. That is, since attributes are associated with the identification information, tables 31 and 32 corresponding to the attributes can be efficiently read from the storage unit 16, and the transaction volume can be estimated efficiently.

[0038] Next, the estimation device 12 etc. creates and outputs a certificate specifying the transaction quantity, and the recycling company issues the certificate to the collection company (S6). Then, the collection company uses the transaction quantity specified in the certificate to calculate the deemed fresh material quantity of new products, etc. (S7).

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the recycling company actually disassembles (S5) the used products that were collected in the collection step (S1) and handed over from the collection company, etc., and performs a recycling process in which recovered materials are extracted from the used products. After the recycling process is completed, the recycling company may issue a certificate specifying the amount of materials to be traded.

[0040] The storage unit 16 of the estimation device 12 stores a product recycling quantity estimation program for causing a computer to execute a recycling quantity estimation method, which includes the above-mentioned information acquisition step (S2), attribute determination step (S3), and transaction quantity estimation step (S4).

[0041] According to the above-described recycling volume estimation method, recycling volume estimation system 10, and recycling volume estimation program, it is not necessary to actually perform mechanical or chemical processing or measurements to obtain the amount of recovered material obtained from used products in order to identify the amount of recovered material to be traded. This reduces the cost and man-hours required to identify the amount of material to be traded.

[0042] Furthermore, as described above, tables 31 and 32, which are predetermined corresponding information, include information for each material, with at least metals and resins separated, and in the transaction quantity estimation step (S4), the transaction quantity is estimated for each material. This makes it easier to use the transaction quantity, such as by calculating the deemed fresh material quantity.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the used products include lighting fixtures. In locations where lighting fixtures are installed, many fixtures are often arranged together, making it easy to collect a large number of fixtures. In addition, since lighting fixtures are often composed of a main body containing metal and a light-transmitting cover containing resin, it is relatively easy to extract the recovered material by material. As a result, a relatively large amount of recovered material from used products can be traded. This allows for a higher utilization rate of the estimated amount of material to be traded.

[0044] In the above configuration, the attribute determination unit 22 determines the attributes of the used product from the acquired identification information. However, if a recycler or the like knows the attributes of the used product, they may input the attributes using the input device 14 of the estimation device 12, and the transaction quantity estimation unit 24 may use the input attributes to estimate the transaction quantity. Alternatively, the attribute determination step (S3) may be omitted in the recycling quantity estimation method of this disclosure, and the attribute determination unit 22 may be omitted in the recycling quantity estimation system of this disclosure, with the transaction quantity of the recovered material estimated from the identification information and correspondence information of the used product.

[0045] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, the table storing the correspondence information may be configured to contain different information depending on the recycling process for extracting recovered materials from used products. For example, in the process of extracting recovered materials in the recycling process, there are two methods: one in which the used product is disassembled by hand into individual parts or into units, and then the recovered materials are sorted and extracted by material; and another in which the used product is crushed in bulk and then the recovered materials are sorted and extracted by material. In this case, disassembling the product into individual parts or units and extracting the recovered materials tends to result in higher accuracy of material sorting and a higher volume of recovered materials to be traded compared to extracting them after crushing. For this reason, different tables may be prepared and stored depending on the recycling process, with the volume to be traded defined by the relationship between identification information and material. In this case, the tables include information about the disassembly procedure for disassembling the used product.

[0046] In this case, in the transaction volume estimation step (S4), the transaction volume is estimated using one or both of the different tables depending on the recycling process. For example, if one of the recycling processes is not predetermined, the transaction volumes obtained using both tables are estimated separately for each recycling process. For example, different transaction volumes are estimated for processes that include parts disassembly and processes that include crushing. Also, if one of the recycling processes is predetermined by input using the input device 14, the transaction volume is estimated using only the table corresponding to that process. This allows for the estimation of the transaction volume with higher accuracy.

[0047] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, the table is stored in the storage unit 16 of the estimation device 12. However, in an alternative embodiment, the table may be pre-stored in a computer different from the estimation device 12. Alternatively, one or more tables may be stored in a computer other than that of a recycling company, such as a collection company. For example, the estimation device of a recycling company may be able to communicate with other computers, such as those of a collection company, where the tables are stored, via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN. In this case, for example, when a recycling company inputs product identification information using the input device 14, the estimation device 12 may be configured to download the table corresponding to the identification information from the collection company's computer.

[0048] Alternatively, the collection company may have an estimation device 12 having a storage unit that stores one or more tables and a transaction volume estimation unit, and the recycler may share the correspondence information stored in the tables in electronic form with the collection company. In this case, the recycler can use the input device of their terminal PC to transmit identification information to the collection company's estimation device 12 via the internet, and the transaction volume estimation unit 24 of the estimation device 12 will estimate the corresponding transaction volume, and the recycler's terminal PC can receive the estimation result via the internet. The recycler can then use the estimation result obtained from this reception to create a certificate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 10 Recycling volume estimation system, 12 Estimation device, 14 Input device, 16 Storage unit, 18 Calculation unit, 20 Information acquisition unit, 22 Attribute determination unit, 24 Transaction target volume estimation unit, 26 Output device, 30 Code reading device, 31, 32 Tables.

Claims

1. An acquisition step to obtain identification information of used products, An estimation step in which, based on the acquired identification information and predetermined correspondence information, the amount of recycled material obtained from the used product, which is the amount subject to transaction, is estimated. including, A method for estimating the amount of product recycled.

2. The aforementioned predetermined correspondence information includes, at a minimum, information for each material, distinguishing between metals and resins. The estimation step involves estimating the transaction quantity for each material. A method for estimating the amount of recycling of the product described in claim 1.

3. The step includes determining the attributes of the used product from the acquired identification information, The estimation step involves estimating the transaction volume using a table in which information is pre-stored according to the attributes as the corresponding information. A method for estimating the amount of recycling of the product described in claim 1.

4. The aforementioned predetermined correspondence information includes different information due to the recycling process for extracting recovered materials from the used product. The estimation step estimates the trading volume using one or both of the different pieces of information. A method for estimating the amount of recycling of a product according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. In claim 4, The aforementioned predetermined correspondence information includes information regarding the disassembly procedure for disassembling the used product. A method for estimating the amount of recycling of the product described in claim 4.

6. The aforementioned used products include lighting fixtures. A method for estimating the amount of recycling of a product according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. An acquisition unit that acquires identification information of used products, Includes an estimation unit that estimates the amount of recycled material obtained from the used product, which is the amount subject to transaction, based on the aforementioned identification information and predetermined correspondence information. A system for estimating the amount of product that can be recycled.

8. A product recycling amount estimation program that causes a computer to execute the product recycling amount estimation method described in claim 1.

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