Recycling is an essential process that helps to reduce waste, conserve resources, and protect the environment. However, the recycling industry faces many challenges, including the persistent issue of contamination and the lack of infrastructure for identifying and separating different materials. This is where robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) come in.
The Importance of Recycling and the Role of Robotics and AI
Recycling plays a critical role in reducing the impact of waste on the environment. It conserves natural resources, reduces energy consumption, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. However, traditional recycling methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and they are not always effective in identifying and separating different materials.
This is where robotics and AI come in. These technologies can automate the recycling process, making it faster, more efficient, and more accurate. They can also identify and separate different materials, including those that are difficult for humans to identify
The Challenge of Recycling Film and Flexible Packaging
One of the biggest challenges in recycling is the contamination of different materials. This is especially true for film and flexible packaging, which are difficult to identify and separate. According to The Recycling Partnership, only 1% of U.S. households have curbside access for recycling film and flexible packaging. Despite this, film and flexibles are the second-largest valued packaging segment, after corrugated containers, with close to 95 pounds of these materials found in the average U.S. home each year.
The recycling industry lacks infrastructure for the identification and separation of film and flexible packaging, and these materials can jam recycling equipment not designed to handle them. Even small amounts of film in overall recycling streams can be unmanageable to remove manually, often damaging equipment, necessitating downtime, and hindering recovery of recyclables. Film contamination degrades fiber bale purity, leading to revenue loss or the need for additional post-processing downstream.
The Solution: AMP Robotics’ AI-Powered Automation System
AMP Robotics Corp. is a pioneer in AI, robotics, and infrastructure for the waste and recycling industry. The company has developed an AI-powered automation solution, AMP Vortex™, to improve the recovery of film and flexible packaging. This first-of-its-kind innovation for materials recovery facilities (MRFs) aims to tackle the persistent challenge of film contamination.
AMP Vortex™ is the industry’s first AI-powered automation system for film removal and recovery in MRF environments. The system targets film contamination and is optimized for quality control on fiber lines. Vortex provides the industry with the most flexible and adaptable solution targeting film; it can be deployed as a retrofit solution in various configurations to accommodate different belt sizes and inclines.
“Innovation and infrastructure improvements are vital to helping MRFs process this challenging, prolific material type and increase recycling rates for residential film and flexible packaging,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP Robotics. “AI is laying the groundwork to reduce the contamination burden on MRFs and scale the recycling of film and flexible packaging.”
AMP’s solution can recover a portfolio of #1-#7 plastics in a variety of different form factors, colors, and opacities with high precision and purity, and can help recyclers meet the soaring need for sufficient quantities of high-quality recycled content from brands and packaging producers.
Waste Connections and AMP Robotics: A Milestone in Recycling Technology
The partnership between Waste Connections and AMP Robotics is setting a new standard in recycling technology, with the deployment of high-speed robotics systems for plastic, fiber, and residue lines. Waste Connections, one of the leading integrated solid waste services companies in North America, has booked or deployed 50 of AMP’s AI-guided robotics systems since late 2020, making it the largest operator of such systems in the industry.
AMP Robotics is a pioneer in AI, robotics, and infrastructure for the waste and recycling industry. The company’s technology identifies and recovers different plastics, cardboard, paper, cans, cartons, and many other containers and packaging types reclaimed for raw material processing. AMP’s systems help recyclers meet the growing need for sufficient quantities of high-quality recycled content from brands and packaging producers by precisely separating different plastics and other recyclables with AI-driven sorting.
“We remain committed to the continuous enhancement of our AI and automation solutions to stay ahead of industry challenges, exceed customer expectations, and support the industry’s sustainability and climate goals,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP Robotics. Waste Connections has been impressed by the reliability of AMP’s robotics systems and the quality of the end product. “It’s gratifying to reach this milestone with a leader in resource recovery like Waste Connections,” Horowitz said. “We’ve worked tirelessly to deliver AI and robotics systems that modernize today’s recycling operations by increasing productivity, stabilizing costs, and improving the quality and value of recycled commodities.”
AMP Robotics’ Expansion in Europe
AMP Robotics continues to expand its presence in Europe to meet the demand for its AI and automation solutions and provide dedicated local support and service for the market. The company has grown its team to include sales support, training, service, and marketing, in addition to direct sales staff focused on serving Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Switzerland, along with the UK and Ireland. The company is exhibiting at IFAT 2022 in Munich for the first time.
AMP installed its first AI-guided robotics systems in the UK and Ireland with Recyco in September 2021 and has since deployed more recycling solutions throughout Europe, including at FCC Medio Ambiente in Spain. AMP provides a portfolio of recycling solutions powered by its industry-leading neural network, which is built on a data engine that has recognized more than 50 billion containers and packaging types in real-world conditions. AMP Cortex™ is the company’s high-speed robotic sorting system with approximately 230 deployments in more than 80 facilities across three continents. AMP Vision™ is a modular computer vision system that helps operators understand material flow throughout key stages of sorting operations and serves as a quick and efficient alternative to manual sampling audits. When integrated with AMP Clarity™, the company’s material characterization and robot performance software solution, users can monitor real-time material characterization and performance measurement throughout a facility.
“We’re seeing strong interest in and satisfaction with our AI and robotics technology here in Europe thanks to our technological leadership,” said Gary Ashburner, general manager, Europe, for AMP Robotics. “Our AI platform, AMP Neuron, continues to achieve breakthroughs in data accuracy and classification of different polymers, form factors, and other packaging types, which is helping our customers take a more data-driven approach to increasing recovery, lowering costs, and optimizing operations.”
Conclusion: A Brighter Future Ahead
The future of recycling is bright, thanks to the advancements in technology and the efforts of companies like AMP Robotics and its partners. Robotics and AI are leading the charge in making the recycling industry more productive, cost-effective, and sustainable. With its groundbreaking AI and robotics systems, AMP Robotics has shown the world what is possible in the world of waste and recycling. By expanding its presence in Europe and partnering with industry leaders like Waste Connections, AMP Robotics has proven its commitment to making recycling operations more efficient, sustainable, and profitable.
Despite the challenges ahead, including the variety of trashes and the economic viability of trash sorting, there is hope for a brighter future. The continued development and deployment of robotics and AI will pave the way for more sustainable and profitable recycling operations. By creating a more efficient and effective recycling system, we can reduce waste, conserve resources, and create a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.
