The Recology Recycling Plant located in southern Seattle is now utilizing AI-powered robots to improve its recycling operations.
Every day from Monday through Friday, the plant handles 300 tons of recyclable material, with sorting done by machinery as well as people. Nonetheless, the incorporation of AI-powered recycling robots is poised to revolutionize these procedures.
“As it targets specific materials, AI proves to be more precise in detection,” stated Justin Johnson, who serves as the operations manager at Recology.
The latest AI-driven robots, fitted with cameras, can process 45 objects per minute, effectively grasping things such as plastics and aluminum and placing them in the correct recycling containers.
According to Johnson, 90% of the materials put into the blue recycling containers get effectively recycled, whereas the leftover 10% still wind up in landfills. The firm intends to enhance this recycling ratio through the assistance of robotics integrated with artificial intelligence.
Anew aluminum can requires 93% less energy to produce when using a previously recycled can rather than raw iron ore,” stated Areeb Malik, co-founder of Glacier Robotics, who developed the AI-powered recycling robot. “This significant reduction in energy usage greatly supports our endeavors in conserving energy.
When people mention AI, many immediately think of chatbots powered by GPT and large language models; however, these aren’t the kinds of AI technologies we employ in our machines,” Malik explained further. “Our systems are built to function efficiently even on devices as compact as smartphones. We aim for efficiency because we recognize that the influence of AI is significant, and we’re committed to ensuring that our creations positively contribute to societal development rather than causing harm.
Recology caters to clients in Seattle as well as 12 additional neighboring municipalities, such as Issaquah, Maple Valley, and Tukwila.
