How AI Supports Commercial Recycling Operations

On this #GlobalRecyclingDay, we stand on the brink of a revolution. In my opinion, it’s especially the following cutting-edge technologies that have the most transformative power in the world of recycling: 1️⃣ AI-powered object recognition in sorting facilities: Traditionally, the recycling industry relies on infrared detection to separate materials like plastics in sorting facilities. However, this method reaches its limits when dealing with similar spectra found in different packaging made of the same materials. This is where AI comes into play. It can now identify and separate specific fractions. Take HDPE, for example: AI helps distinguish between conventional HDPE and HDPE cartridges containing silicone - a contaminant in the recycling process. 2️⃣ AI-driven control of sorting systems: Facilities process complex material streams, whose efficiency depends on many factors - including the season or specific collection areas. Previously, control was based on over 1000 parameters and a lot of experience. With AI, we can now automate and improve this process in seconds. A milestone for efficiency. 3️⃣ Optimization of sorting facilities through AI planning: AI plays a crucial role not only in existing processes but also in the planning phase. Virtual models of facilities can be constructed to optimize material flows. The algorithm evaluates and improves the design before construction begins. It is this kind of innovation and technology adoption that not only makes us more efficient but also opens up new ways to offer better services to our customers. And I am proud that we are not only a company committed to sustainability but also to the courage to explore and apply new technologies. Happy #GlobalRecyclingDay! Let's work towards a better future.   What are your thoughts on the possibilities that AI offers in recycling?

The Autonomous Waste Supply Chain 🤖 Plot twist: The robots aren't coming for your job... they're coming for your trash. Self-driving trash bins are rolling out, but here's where this is really heading: the fully autonomous waste supply chain. 🌙 The vision is strangely compelling: → Your smart bin uses AI and computer vision with a robotic arm to auto-sort waste as you dispose of it → It tracks fill rates across all compartments and notifies pickup agents for overnight collection → The bin rolls outside and queues itself optimally → Specialized autonomous trucks collect each waste type and drive to appropriate facilities (recycling centers, composting, waste-to-energy) → Your bin self-cleans and returns inside, ready for tomorrow All while you sleep. 🛥️ Amsterdam is pioneering this with "Roboats" - autonomous electric vessels navigating 165 canals as floating dumpsters, solving waste collection where traditional trucks can't reach. ⚡ The tech stack: → Real-time detection and route optimization → Autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance → Multi-modal coordination across bins, trucks, boats, depots → Self-maintenance and 24/7 operation 🚀 Here's what excites me: No more pickup days, overflowing bins, missed collections, or strikes. And the environmental game-changer: NYC's Sanitation Commissioner notes that "80% of reusable material still ends up in landfills." Imagine AI-powered sorting automatically capturing that 80% without human effort. 🤔 But here's the bigger picture: Autonomous waste could be the harbinger for countless other use cases. If we can coordinate this in real-time... autonomous snow removal? Self-managing urban gardens? Dynamic infrastructure that reconfigures daily? What's your take? Revolutionary convenience or the blueprint for all urban services? #AI #SupplyChain #Truckl #Innovation #FutureOfWork

With an estimated $100 Billion in material value lost each year in the US alone due to rejected and then landfilled/incinerated recyclables, how can we transform our approach to unlock this immense potential? It was inspiring to hear my colleague Rey Banatao discuss his moonshot for circularity on the latest X Moonshot Podcast, alongside Emily Ma's equally ambitious work tackling food waste. Rey's team is diving deep into the molecular level of materials to build a more effective and economically viable recycling system, starting with challenging plastics where current systems often fall short. The scale of the waste challenge, encompassing both plastics and food, is staggering, but the potential for innovative solutions is clear: 🟢 Globally, plastic production is a ~$600 Billion industry; increasing circularity offers huge economic and environmental opportunities beyond preventing value loss. 🟢 In the US, there are over 9,000 different local recycling systems, highlighting the complexity Rey's data-driven approach aims to navigate. 🟢 Simultaneously, 40% of food goes uneaten in the US, contributing to significant economic loss (estimated $1 Trillion globally from consumer/retail waste alone) and environmental strain. 🟢 Tech can make a difference: Open Product Recovery, inspired by Emily's early work at X, enables partners like FarmLink Project to rescue vast amounts of surplus food – over 300 million pounds moved! Rey's project highlights the power of data, using advanced spectroscopy and AI to identify the precise molecular makeup of plastics in milliseconds. This allows for better sorting (even for hard-to-recycle items like black plastics or clamshells) and unlocks the potential for advanced recycling methods like chemical recycling by creating optimized feedstock from materials previously destined for landfill. This data could also be crucial for informing policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Similarly, Emily's foundational work on creating standardized data and communication protocols for surplus food led to the open-source Open Product Recovery network, demonstrating how technology can optimize logistics and connect supply with need in complex systems like food rescue. Tackling these entrenched global challenges requires moonshot thinking, deep technological innovation, and collaboration. Whether it's turning landfill-bound plastics back into valuable resources or ensuring surplus food nourishes people instead of contributing to methane emissions, the goal is clear: building more sustainable, circular systems for a healthier planet and economy. Check it out here - https://lnkd.in/d8WfjFHR. #Circularity #PlasticWaste #Recycling #Sustainability #TechForGood #Innovation #Moonshot #FoodWaste #CircularEconomy

These ladies are solving our 92mn tonne waste crisis 👚 (Major brands are on board) Every year, the clothing industry faces a big problem: ↳ 92 mn tonnes of textiles discarded. ↳ Less than 1% gets recycled. ↳ The rest goes to landfills or incinerators. Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta discovered recycling's biggest barrier: ↳ A simple t-shirt might contain 20+ materials ↳ Each recycling process only works on one or two of those materials ↳ Even 1% of the wrong material ruins entire recycling batches When the ladies met at Carnegie Mellon they had a hunch... ... AI could help recyclers better sort clothing Refiberd was born. Their system works like this: 1. Special cameras analyse light bands bouncing off clothing 2. AI compares light detected against 10,000-sample database 3. This creates precise maps of fabrics present in the clothing 4. Items are mechanically separated and sent to the correct recycler 5. Prevent contamination that ruins batches Each Refiberd unit can: ↳ Process 3,000 tonnes of clothing ↳ Sort materials with 99% accuracy ↳ Just 4,000 could handle all of America's textile waste. Major brands are on board: ↳ Backing secured from H&M Foundation ↳ Major recyclers are lined up to trial their product ↳ $3.4M in funding From university experiments... To a game changer for clothes recycler. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs start with a humble experiment Would you send your clothes to them for recycling? 📥 Follow me for daily insights on NatureTech and Nature Finance

Why Our Plant Investment is Reducing Carbon Emissions♻️   Re-Gen's investment in advanced recycling technology plays a crucial role in lowering carbon emissions. Eunomia, a leading carbon consultancy firm concluded that Re-Gen’s specific process significantly outperforms Northern Irish multi-stream kerbside boxes system for carbon impact per tonne. (e.g., Eunomia Report. NI June 2024)   Here’s how Re-Gen are achieving this:   🌍Enhanced Efficiency: Our state-of-the-art facility utilises cutting-edge sorting technologies that increase the efficiency of waste processing. By optimising operations, we minimise energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional waste management methods.   🌍AI-Powered Monitoring: By integrating Greyparrot technology, we employ artificial intelligence to continuously monitor waste streams. This precise data helps us optimise sorting processes, ensuring higher recycling rates and no material sent to landfill, which would naturally release carbon dioxide.   🌍Real-Time Monitoring: The implementation of SCADA and PLC systems allows us to track operational efficiency in real-time. By identifying bottlenecks and optimising processes instantly, we continually work to enhance performance and minimise emissions.   🌍Increased Recycling Rates: By maximising recyclable output, we reduce the need for new raw materials, which often have higher carbon footprints associated with extraction and processing. This shift contributes significantly to lowering overall emissions.   Investing in our plant not only boosts recycling capabilities but also supports a more sustainable future by significantly reducing the carbon emissions linked to waste processing. At Re-Gen, we believe that innovation is the key to a cleaner environment.   #recycling #wastemanagement #mixeddryrecycling

Let’s talk waste—292 million tons of it every year in the U.S. alone. Most of us dump it and forget it. Recycle Track Systems? They’re turning trash into a tech-powered treasure trove. Co-founders Gregory R. Lettieri and Adam P. saw a #wasteindustry stuck in neutral—outdated, inefficient, and oblivious to its own potential. With $40M in fresh funding led by Edison Partners alongside Volition Capital and StepStone Group, RTS is proving that even an industry built on garbage has room for innovation. RTS’s secret weapon is Pello, their AI-powered #sensortech that tracks #filllevels, detects #contamination, monitors #binlocations, and even measures #temperature. It’s not just about picking up trash; it’s about real-time, data-driven decisions that save time, cut costs, and make sustainability achievable at scale. Then there’s Cycle, their digital #recyclingrewards platform that #gamifies the green movement, engaging customers while cutting contamination rates. RTS isn’t just managing waste—they’re giving it a second life through tech. This asset-light business model is what makes RTS stand out. No trucks, no landfills—just partnerships with haulers like Winters Bros. and City Waste Services of NY to handle logistics, while RTS powers the operation with data. That’s why heavy hitters like Google, Whole Foods Market, Citi Field Stadium, and Barclays Center are on board. RTS doesn’t just deliver results—it redefines expectations. Last year, RTS acquired RecycleSmart Solutions to double down on their tech portfolio. They also locked in a 10-year NYC contract, becoming one of five companies to spearhead the city’s #containerizedwaste overhaul. This isn’t just expansion—it’s RTS cementing themselves as the go-to tech leader in a $68 billion industry that desperately needs modernization. This $40M raise isn’t just fuel for growth—it’s a launchpad. RTS plans to scale their Pello sensors, refine their AI, and expand deeper into North America. They’re proving that sustainability and profitability can coexist, and they’re giving the waste industry something it hasn’t had in decades: relevance. What RTS is doing isn’t just about trash—it’s a wake-up call for every legacy industry still stuck in the past. If AI can turn garbage into opportunity, what’s stopping the rest of the world? Trash isn’t the end of the story—it’s the beginning. #Startups #StartupFunding #WaitForIt ---> #TrashAI (💥) #VentureCapital #WasteManagement #AI #Technology #Innovation #Disruption #TechEcossytem #Logistics #Operations #StartupEcosystem

AI and robotics are transforming waste management, creating more efficient and sustainable systems. From AI-powered sorting robots that recover valuable recyclables with greater accuracy to predictive analytics that optimize waste collection routes, these technologies are revolutionizing the industry. Cities like Amsterdam and Singapore are already using smart waste solutions to reduce emissions, cut operational costs, and improve recycling rates. Robotic systems are also enhancing safety by handling hazardous waste, protecting workers from toxic materials. The economic benefits of automation are clear: companies like Glacier report a return on investment within a year, thanks to increased efficiency and reduced labor costs. As these technologies continue to evolve, their accessibility will grow, offering even more opportunities to reduce landfill dependency and improve environmental outcomes globally. Now is the time for businesses and governments to invest in AI-driven waste management systems. By embracing these innovations, we can meet sustainability goals, drive economic growth, and pave the way for a cleaner future. #AI #Robotics #WasteManagement #Sustainability #Recycling #SmartCities #CircularEconomy #EnvironmentalInnovation