A recurring question in our group: instead of a central planner deciding every collection route, what if waste producers and recyclers negotiated their own agreements?
Early experiments with negotiation-based approaches suggest we can cut both distance travelled and CO₂, while keeping each stakeholder better off. The interesting open problem is stability — how to design negotiation rules so agreements hold over time, even as demand fluctuates.
This connects to our earlier work on collecting & sorting operations in the circular economy. If you are a student intrigued by multi-agent systems and sustainability, this could make a great thesis topic — get in touch.