Over just a few years, robotic sorting has gone from a gee-whiz laboratory curiosity to a key technology in a number of different types of facilities.
Associate Editor Jared Paben has worked for Resource Recycling since December 2014. Most of his earlier career was spent as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Bellingham, Wash., but he also has experience working for the Oregon volunteerism commission and for Oregon nonprofits serving low-income populations. He can be contacted at [email protected].Over just a few years, robotic sorting has gone from a gee-whiz laboratory curiosity to a key technology in a number of different types of facilities.
The largest residential garbage and recycling company in North America plans to get a lot bigger with a nearly $5 billion acquisition.
A half-hour’s drive northwest of downtown Milwaukee, the largest MRF in Wisconsin is working to extract value from the region’s single-stream recyclables. And it has recently added robotics and other sortation technology to help improve efficiency.
Waste Management announced plans for another $200 million in recycling investments for 2022. | BCFC/Shutterstock
Driven by labor market difficulties, Waste Management is accelerating its plans to upgrade MRFs so they can operate more profitably and with a smaller headcount, the company’s CEO said.
The Sims Sunset Park MRF in Brooklyn, N.Y., as seen on Google Earth.
In acquiring a majority stake in Sims Municipal Recycling, an industry investment group is assuming the reins of a company that grew profitability by 150% last year as commodity prices rose.
California regulators will provide incentive payments to curbside recycling programs producing PET bales with less than 2% contamination. | RecycleMan/Shutterstock
California officials will provide payments of up to $180 per ton to recycling facilities that limit contamination in PET bales to 2% or less.
AMP Robotics is training its AI-powered visioning system to identify hazards such as fuel tanks and batteries so MRFs can safely remove them. | Courtesy of AMP Robotics
AMP Robotics is training its AI-powered camera system to identify fuel tanks and batteries on conveyor belts, so the system can alert MRF staff to the hazards.
The details of what’s being called the “Houston Recycling Collaboration” have yet to be worked out, but an agreement has set the process in motion to divert residential plastic scrap for chemical recycling. | Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock
The city of Houston and its MRF operator, FCC Environmental Services, are among the signatories to an agreement to advance chemical recycling for household plastic scrap in the city.
A survey of 12 MRFs from seven northeastern states reveals details on the value of recyclables and the cost of collecting and selling those recovered commodities. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock
The steady, steep year-long runup in recyclables prices came to an end during the fourth quarter of 2021, according to results of a survey of MRFs.
