A Word About Recycling with Ollie Maier
We all know how technology has made our lives much easier and safer in many ways. TV, digital cameras, use of the GPS when driving, and the cell phone are just a few small examples. Thus an article in a Resource Recycling newsletter was interesting as it spoke about how technology is helping in the recycling industry.
“Over just a few years, robotic sorting has gone from a gee-whiz laboratory curiosity to a key technology in North America’s newer and more advanced sorting facilities,” the article started.
Just as digital photography replaced Kodak’s film industry in just a few years, robots are starting to make the sorting of recycled materials much quicker, easier and safer. Our first known sorting robot in a U.S. recycling facility was installed in Denver just 3 years ago.
Now, a quick review of where such robots are located showed at least 88 such "artificial intelligence recycling units" are either working or have been purchased in the U.S. and Canada.
One example is in late June, a robotics company had an installation of six of its robots at the Single Stream Recyclers (SSR) MRF in Sarasota, Florida. It also has SSR plans to install another four dual-robot systems this summer. Also earlier in May, another robotics company sold two of its units, each with four sorting arms, to a PET recycling plant.
And I found Waste Management, North America’s largest material recovery facility (MRF) operator, also started testing robots from three different providers at some of its facilities in May.
Such artificial intelligence recycling units are sorting residential and commercial recyclables. This includes mixed waste, plastics, shredded electronics and construction and demolition debris (C&D).
Although very helpful, they’re also proving to be central to putting operators through a number of pressures. Some of which are staffing challenges and material quality demands. Such challenges are expected to persist in the years ahead.
Research shows much of the robot technology is currently focused on curbside recyclables. In at least 39 facilities, these robots are mainly working in single-stream MRFs.
Although not all companies were willing to reveal how the robots were being used, we find 19 are in single-stream MRFs, three are in mixed-waste processing sites, two are in electronics processors, two are in PET recycling facilities and two are in facilities focused on C&D materials.
As to their location, while spread out, it appears they especially like the more sunny weather — a number are in California. However, they are also in 14 other states including 10 in Florida, three in Minnesota and two in Texas. And more and more facilities are looking at installing them.
As a spokesperson for the industry explained, “As long as you never over-promise and underperform, the end result will be that the machines continue to grow in acceptance and will only get better with time."
Till next week, do have a great one...
--
Ollie is a local citizen concerned with the environment and helping others. A retired Air Force fighter and instructor pilot, he is a graduate of Leadership San Marcos and received his degrees at Texas State University where he worked on staff before totally retiring. For questions or comments, he invites you to call him at 512-353-7432.or email omaier@txstate.edu.
