Effectiveness of Art...

The integration of Artificial intelligence (AI) as a circular economy (CE) strategy for plastic waste management optimized waste collection and sorting processes, improved material recovery rates and developed innovative and applicable realistic recycling technologies. The study examines the perceived effectiveness of artificial intelligence technologies in circular economy initiatives among various stakeholders in Nigeria. The study involves stakeholders in waste management and residents that were randomly selected from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Lagos State, Nigeria. With 400 respondents, a questionnaire was adopted for data gathering while data analysis was carried out through descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage and mean. The finding revealed that the respondents agreed that AI can significantly reduce plastic waste in dumpsites (49.5%), optimize plastic recycling processes (51.8%), make waste management more data-driven and efficient (56.9%), facilitate a robust circular economy model (51.9%), use of AI technologies in waste management will increase with time (67.5%), AI can enhance real-time monitoring of plastic waste rates (50.0%) and AI-enabled platforms can reduce operational costs (52.7%); however, the respondents disagreed that AI can improve public awareness on plastic waste disposal (46.0%). In conclusion, the successful adoption of AI-driven solutions in plastic waste management will require concerted efforts across multiple sectors, including government, private industries, and civil society organizations.