Image credit : Waste 360
Recycling proves to be a complex challenge, not only for consumers but especially for recycling enterprises. However, artificial intelligence might hold the key to solutions in this domain.
Traditionally, deciphering the contents within the chaotic mass of waste arriving at recycling plants has been a laborious and messy endeavor. Human capabilities for rapid assessment are limited, yet it’s crucial to accurately distinguish between items like milk containers, beer cans, and detergent jugs to ensure proper recycling.
Enterprises like AMP Robotics, Machinex, Recycleye, and the California-based startup EverestLabs are now harnessing the power of AI and robotics to address this issue. Their goal is to simplify, expedite, and enhance the recycling process.
According to JD Ambati, CEO of EverestLabs, “Thanks to AI and robotic arms, we’ve witnessed plants recovering 10%, 20%, even 30% more than their previous output. AI has enabled them to identify losses’ value and deploy robotic arms to recapture these losses, preventing millions of dollars from ending up in landfills.”
EverestLabs employs 3D depth-sensing cameras on recycling conveyor lines, capable of identifying up to 200 objects within each frame. In a mere 12 milliseconds, the AI software determines the nature of these objects and their packaging types.
Ambati explains, “We collect data about brands, packaging types, materials, recovery rates, reuse rates, and landfill quantities.” This data-driven approach significantly boosts the potential retrieval of recyclable items. Complementing this, the utilization of robotic arms yields three to four times more efficient packaging recovery compared to human efforts, offering substantial cost savings to prominent recyclers like SMR.
“Labor is a big challenge in our business, like in lots of the economy,” said Tom Outerbridge, president of SMR. “We can replace some portion of the positions that we would otherwise have to fill with human beings with a robot that can do that in a cost-effective way, that’s obviously good for the business and it’s good for the operation.”
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Fueled by investments from Translink Capital, NEC Orchestrating Future Fund, BGV, Sierra Ventures, Morado Ventures, and Xplorer Capital, EverestLabs has secured $24.6 million in funding thus far.
