Dive Brief:
- Finnish robotic waste-sorting technology firm ZenRobotics is partnering with recycling equipment distributor ML Environmental to distribute its new robotic sorter in the U.S. and to introduce the technology at Waste Expo in June, according to Waste Management World.
- ZenRobotics’ sorter, driven by artificial intelligence, is said to produce more and purer processed materials at lower costs than other sorting technology due to its advanced recognition capabilities. The company says the technology works well in less high-tech plants that must be adaptable to various waste streams.
- In France, environmental services provider Veolia plans to purchase ZenRobotics’ waste separation technology.
Dive Insight:
There is already advanced sorting technology that can differentiate between plastics, identify dirty containers, and perform other functions that improve quality control and efficiency and cut labor hours, which is especially valuable to plants that take in mixed waste.
But robots are beginning to go further, differentiating more household wastes. Some can even identify more specialized materials like construction debris.
"ZenRobotics’ waste sorting robots are a long-awaited addition to the technologies used in the waste industry. Decades of experience with European recycling equipment have introduced us to great technologies, but these intelligent waste-sorting robots represent a new era in recycling," said Marcel Vallen, ML Environmental CEO, in a statement.
Timo Taalas, ZenRobotics CEO who describes the robot as "next generation recycling," added that the introduction of the product into the U.S. is "a major breakthrough."
