Smart tech driving Australia’s circular economy for plastics
CQUniversity researchers are tapping into Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address our planet’s plastic addition – so plastic waste is better identified for recycling or upcycling, and so consumers realise the impact of their habits.
Dr Anwaar Ulhaq is a Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence at CQUniversity and is driving new technology to help Australians rethink how they approach the problem.
Plastic GPT is an AI-powered educational tool developed at CQU to help users recognise, classify, and better understand plastic waste.
Analysing images of waste snapped by users, the tool instantly identifies materials and their polymer details like LDPE, HDPE, PET, as well as environmental impacts, and recycling or upcycling potential through image and language-based prompts.
Plastic GPT is in final development before public release and will be freely accessible online in coming months.
“Plastic GPT is designed to do more than identify litter; it educates users and encourages smarter thinking about plastic,” Dr Ulhaq said. “
“We’re building environmental literacy through artificial intelligence.”
The Plastic GPT team also includes CQUniversity marine ecotoxicologist Dr Angela Capper, Senior Lecturer - Information and Communication Technology Dr Jahan Hassan, research assistants Khizer Ali and Kowsar Hossain Sakib, and Dr Sajid Javed from Khalifa University, UAE as an external collaborator.
The project is funded by CQUniversity's internal research fund and is part of Dr Ulhaq’s broader mission to empower community-led sustainability using digital innovation.
He also led a collaborative project funded by Parks Australia, in partnership with Plastic Collective Pty Ltd and CEO and founder Louise Hardman, to co-develop a mobile app supporting smarter clean-up strategies and creative reuse of marine debris.
The Hunter Gatherer Networks app – now available on both Apple and Google Play stores – was developed via a co-design process with First Nations artists and rangers from the Mapoon community in Northern Australia.
Project research assistant Ashsish Budhathoki helped develop the app, where users can upload plastic cleanup data, source plastic waste for artistic repurposing, and even buy finished art created from marine debris.
“The plastic pollution crisis is here, and we can’t rely on just recycling to address it – transition to a circular economy is part of the solution to shift our whole system of plastic creation and consumption,” Dr Ulhaq explained.
“Partnering with industry leaders like Louise helps ground our technology in real-world impact, and connects remote Indigenous communities not just to cleanup tools, but also to storytelling, art, and circular design thinking.”
By combining AI, environmental science, and creative industry partnerships, Dr Ulhaq’s projects highlight the potential of digital tools to make sustainability more participatory, accessible, and effective.
“We don’t just need better recycling systems, we need a shift in mindset,” Dr Ulhaq says.
“Technology can spark that shift by helping people see plastic not as rubbish, but as something with value, purpose, and potential.”
Dr Ulhaq is also partnering with industry in Indonesia and Singapore to develop AI-powered drift models that monitor waterways and current flows, helping track plastic hotspots for improved cleanup operations. This new NO-PLASTIC project is funded by CSIRO’s Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation (IPPIN) Network.
The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that every year, up to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas.
Learn more about CQUniversity's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
