World Solve

The problem of supermarket disposal of edible food continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.

Thousands of satellites may provide connectivity while increasing collision risk, radio interference, light pollution, and disposal complexity. The challenge is creating enforceable coordination and end-of-life standards across commercial and state operators. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Large quantum computers may require specialized materials, cooling systems, and high-energy facilities. Their lifecycle impact, component reuse, and end-of-life management are not yet adequately designed. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Materials may be valuable but poorly documented, contaminated, or unavailable at the needed time. Standardized audits, uncertainty-aware marketplaces, and logistics coordination could make reuse competitive with disposal. The opportunity is intentionally human-scale: a cooperative, clinic, workshop, school, or municipal team could pilot it within one locality and measure outcomes before expanding. Mathematical modeling can help with measure uncertainty, incentives, or resource constraints; entrepreneurship can turn a reliable workflow into a viable service.

Fuel spills, waste disposal, and legacy pollutants accumulate in soils, sediments, and biota near human activity. Systematic contamination surveys and remediation technologies are required.

Toxic materials contaminate land and water. Stronger regulation and treatment facilities are needed.

As solar panels and batteries age, Africa lacks systems to recycle them safely, risking toxic pollution. Formal e-waste recycling startups could turn this into a resource-recovery industry.

Develop diagnostics, certification, modular design, and business models for second-life batteries without creating fire hazards or shifting disposal burdens to poorer regions.

Develop affordable, maintainable treatment and disposal approaches for persistent fluorinated chemicals in communities unable to operate advanced centralized treatment plants.