Weecle Kicks Off AI Recycling Campaign in Tokyo's Government Building

On June 26, 2026, the Weecle, an AI-driven recycling box, officially started its operations at Tokyo's city hall, in collaboration with KDDI Corporation. This initiative is part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's lithium-ion battery recovery campaign, marking the first installation of Weecle in Japan.

The launch was marked by an opening event attended by Governor Yuriko Koike, during which a live demonstration of the Weecle's capabilities was showcased. Koike inserted a mobile phone into the Weecle, which successfully identified and sorted the item using advanced AI image recognition technology.

The rising incidents of fire accidents due to improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries have become a serious societal concern. Many small rechargeable electronic devices, including mobile phones, smartphones, and batteries, contain valuable metals like gold, silver, copper, and rare metals. Thus, effective recovery of these items is essential for promoting resource circulation. The Weecle aims to facilitate this process, assisting in the proper sorting of lithium-ion batteries while simultaneously helping retrieve resources from what has been referred to as Tokyo's