Back to Top

Tag Archives: technology

How the use of robotics is evolving at MRFs

Published: January 12, 2021
Updated:

by
AMP Robotics tandem gripper.

A leader with AMP Robotics says artificial intelligence has changed how robotics can be incorporated into MRFs. | Courtesy of AMP Robotics.

A recycling facility operator and a robotics company say artificial intelligence is providing materials recovery firms with much-needed data to analyze changes in the recycling stream. That’s in addition to sortation improvements.

Continue Reading

Posted in Top stories | Tagged , |

The details on a $1.8M MRF upgrade in Midwest

Published: September 4, 2019
Updated:

by

Residents of Petoskey, Mich. in Emmet County will benefit from a $1.8 million MRF upgrade. | Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock

A tight labor market, aging equipment, an evolving ton and difficult recyclables markets have spurred a Michigan county to upgrade its MRF. Robots are among the technologies to be installed.

Continue Reading

How robots are cleaning up a MRF’s paper bales

Published: October 22, 2019
Updated:

by

With 14 robots connected to 10 vision systems, Single Stream Recyclers (SSR) in Sarasota, Fla. has more robots under one roof than any other MRF.

A Florida company leveraging 14 robotic sorters is among the first recycling facilities to use the technology on fiber lines, boosting the value of paper bales.

Continue Reading

Posted in Top stories | Tagged , , |

Recology adds robotics to produce cleaner plastics

Published: November 20, 2019
Updated:

by
Robot sorting plastic at Recology facility.

Plastic-sorting robots are just the latest upgrade for Recology’s San Francisco MRF. | Courtesy of Recology.

A West Coast operator installed four artificial intelligence units at its high-tech San Francisco MRF. A company manager explained how the machinery is working in conjunction with optical sorters to boost recovery and reduce contamination.

Continue Reading

Posted in Top stories | Tagged , |

New possible role for MRF robots: hazard detection

Published: February 8, 2022
Updated:

by
AMP Robotics AI view of materials on a sorting facility conveyor belt.

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.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , |

CEO responds to concerns over impacts of plastic gravel

Published: August 27, 2019
Updated:

by

Some readers challenged the environmental benefit of Arqlite’s plastic gravel product. | Via Arqlite’s Instagram page.

A startup won money and media attention for its recycled plastic gravel, but some readers are concerned the product could cause more environmental harm than simply landfilling the scrap plastic. 

Continue Reading

Posted in News | Tagged , |

Study details ‘transformational’ tech in plastics recycling

Published: April 9, 2019
Updated:

by
Inside the Agilyx facility in Oregon.

Equipment at the facility of polystyrene processor Agilyx, one of the companies mentioned in the Closed Loop Partners report.

At least 60 organizations are working to scale up depolymerization, pyrolysis and other emerging plastic processing methods. The North American market for the resulting products could top $100 billion annually.

Continue Reading