World Solve

recycling of batteries remaining low remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

Many future products will use composites, coatings, adhesives, and additives that make recycling technically or economically impossible. The challenge is creating high-performance materials whose full lifecycle is designed from the beginning. 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.

recycling rates remaining far too low remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

Recovering valuable materials from electronic waste is technically possible but often not profitable enough on its own to attract the investment needed to handle the sheer volume being generated. Making this economically viable at scale remains unresolved.

Solar panels contain valuable and sometimes hazardous materials that current recycling processes struggle to recover efficiently and cheaply. As the first generation of panels ages out, this waste problem is becoming more urgent.

Solar panels and batteries eventually become waste. Circular recycling industries for energy tech are needed.

Landfills and dumping persist. Circular waste industries and source separation can help.

Single-use plastics overwhelm systems. Bans, alternatives, and recycling can reduce pollution.

Marine life ingests or becomes entangled in waste. Upstream waste reduction and cleanup technologies are needed.

Rising consumption and inadequate recycling infrastructure mean much of urban waste ends up in rivers, oceans, or informal dumps. Decentralized waste-to-value recycling ventures could turn this into an opportunity.

Discarded phones, computers, and batteries often end up in informal, toxic recycling operations that harm workers and the environment. Formal e-waste recycling ventures could recover valuable materials safely.

Rapid consumption growth combined with inadequate waste management sends huge volumes of plastic into waterways each year. River-cleaning technology and plastic-to-value recycling startups could intercept waste before it reaches oceans.

Treated wastewater is rarely reused for non-potable purposes despite growing water stress in many urban areas. Decentralized greywater recycling systems for buildings could meaningfully cut freshwater demand.

Millions rely on informal waste collection and sorting for income but lack safety equipment, fair pay, or legal recognition. Formalizing waste-picker cooperatives with fair-trade recycling partnerships could improve livelihoods.

Without affordable storage, solar power in Africa cannot run appliances at night or during cloudy periods. Local battery assembly and recycling ventures could lower costs and create jobs.

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.

Rapid urban consumption growth has outpaced recycling infrastructure, leaving plastic waste in waterways and streets. Local plastic-to-value recycling startups could turn this waste into a resource.

Current life support distillation systems build up volatile organics and salts, degrading filtration membranes quickly. Next-generation electrochemical and enzymatic water purification systems are needed.

Standard lithium-ion batteries lose efficiency and fail at sub-zero temperatures without dedicated thermal heaters. Development of solid-state or low-temperature tolerant electrolyte batteries is essential for planetary night survival.

The rapid adoption of electric rickshaws and scooters creates a massive wave of end-of-life batteries that are dumped in open landfills due to lack of local recycling facilities.