Digital Event Horizon
Recycling rates have been stagnant for years, but a new AI-powered sorting technology from AMP Robotics may hold the key to turning things around. Can this cutting-edge tech make a real difference in reducing waste and promoting sustainability?
Recycling rates have stagnated at around 32% in 2018 and 21% in 2024 due to high labor costs and manual sorting difficulties.AMP Robotics has developed an AI-powered sorting technology to address the issue, achieving an uptime of over 90% in testing.The system can divert more than 60% of landfill-bound material, reducing costs and increasing recovery rates.The investment in AMP Robotics' Series D funding round will deploy its systems across US MSW facilities, addressing a pressing need for an AI-powered solution.
Recycling rates have been stagnant in recent years, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reporting that around 32 percent of recyclable and compostable materials were recycled and composted, respectively, in 2018. The situation has not improved significantly since then, with a more recent study by the nonprofit advocacy group The Recycling Partnership showing even fewer residents sorting their trash, with just 21 percent of residential recyclables being sent to be reused as of the beginning of 2024. This lack of improvement is largely due to the high cost and difficulty associated with manual labor for sortation in recycling facilities.
One company that is working to address this issue is AMP Robotics, a business that has developed an AI-powered sorting technology designed to help Earth deal with human laziness when it comes to recycling. The company's system consists of massive, facility-sized bots equipped with deep learning capabilities and access to a shared repository of data from other systems in the industry.
According to Carling Spelhaug, AMP spokesperson, "Non-AI equipment is the status quo of the industry and unfortunately has several drawbacks. It is expensive, requires a multitude of devices for each specific commodity, is fairly low accuracy." In contrast, AMP's AI-powered system uses a similar deep learning approach, but with the added benefit of being able to learn from different types of objects over time.
Spelhaug highlights that "the unique advantage of AI is its ability to identify many things we discard. One thing that’s a little exciting is when you see money on the line." The company's system has been tested at a Recycling and Disposal Solutions facility in Virginia, where it achieved an uptime of over 90 percent.
Furthermore, AMP Robotics claims that their system can divert more than 60 percent of landfill-bound material. This, combined with organics management and mixed recyclables sorting systems, allows facilities to make the recovery of commodities safer and more cost-effective than ever before.
In addition to its potential benefits for the environment, there is also an economic component at play. According to Spelhaug, "Reliance on manual labor for sortation has long held back the recycling industry." The system not only reduces costs but also helps to lower sortation costs, capture more material value, divert organic waste, and extend landfill life.
AMP Robotics has secured a significant investment in its Series D funding round, which will be used to deploy its systems across MSW facilities throughout the US. It is clear that there is both interest from investors and a pressing need for an AI-powered solution like this one, as recycling rates continue to stagnate.
Despite its potential benefits, it remains to be seen whether these efforts will pay off in terms of environmental impact. However, it is also worth noting that at the very least, there are now companies working towards addressing this critical issue.
Related Information:
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/12/08/ai_for_recycling/
https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/08/ai_for_recycling/
https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2024/12/08/ai_for_recycling/
Published: Sun Dec 8 05:21:45 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
