Since everything we buy has a bar code on the packaging it follows that a machine can be programmed with details of the material used to pack the product and could therefore sort the different materials.
2006-09-26 12:13:53 · 6 answers · asked by Snowlizard 3 in Environment
I like the idea, but there are 3 problems to overcome first:
1) some barcodes are 13 digits, but they can be up to 26 digits - a machine will need to be complex (and therefore more expensive) to resolve this.
2) barcodes differ between manufacturers and even retailers, for example the barcode a manufacturer prints on it's product for Tesco might be different for the barcode they print on their product for Sainsbury, but it's still EXACTLY the same product (nothing like making things complicated).
3) even if you could use barcodes to accurately identify products, even fairly simply packaging has a couple of different types of packaging. Would a machine have the dexterity and ability to deal with many different types of packaging? Probably not... yet.
I know all that sounded negative, but I really like the idea. How about a barcode scanner at the recycling point to help people correctly recycle?
2006-09-28 01:08:55 · answer #1 · answered by Chris W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That would be a big hassle for every company involved, because they would have to put information pertaining to the packaging in with the product number, description and price - then the recycling company would have to get a barcode system and have it go through a gigantic database of a bazillion barcodes to pull up the packaging info. It would be an expensive database to create and maintain and businesses would not be eager to take part either.
I know where your heads at, there is just more to it than you think. There are a whole lot of barcodes in the world.
2006-09-26 12:17:22 · answer #2 · answered by GirlUdontKnow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
properly if all of us began procuring at our interior of sight highway markets for our vegetables, which haven't any packaging different than the bag the guy places them in, then perhaps the supermarkets might awaken to the undeniable fact that we don't want or choose all this wrapping, why no longer supply the little guy a wreck for a metamorphosis (And no i've got not got a clean fruit and veg stall ! ) yet for too long the supermarkets have been having all of it their very own way, till the small dealer has been forced out of the industry place.
2016-10-18 00:58:29 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This would be good idea if the bar codes were all readable. Trying to find and read bar codes on a moving mass of trash is exceedingly difficult.
2006-09-26 12:22:40 · answer #4 · answered by williegod 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A good idea but the readers would be be complex and it would be difficult to place them to get reliable readings without having to handle each item. They use bar codes to sort luggage these days and they have to put masses of readers in the conveyor system in order to get good readings and those codes are fresh, flat and clean.
2006-09-26 12:19:44 · answer #5 · answered by Maid Angela 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's a good idea, but I agree that it would be difficult, maybe they can just put the barcode on every side that way no matter which way it goes through it can read the code.
2006-09-26 12:24:35 · answer #6 · answered by booboo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋