Dec 20, 2022

Photo courtesy of Terex Materials Processing ZenRobotics unit deployed at UK MRF United Kingdom-based Grundon will use sorting robot equipped with artificial intelligence. December 20, 2022 The Finland-based ZenRobotics business unit of United States-based Terex Corp. says one of its sorting robots is being deployed on a trial basis at a materials recovery facility (MRF) in the United Kingdom. The MRF is operated by waste and recycling firm Grundon. The ZenRobotics Fast Picker robot has been installed at Grundon’s Bishop’s Cleeve site in Gloucestershire, England. The installation recently received BBC news coverage in the U.K., according to ZenRobotics. The Fast Picker unit includes a conveyor belt and robotic arm designed to collaborate to scan material, decide what to pick, and then deposit it down one of two chutes. ZenRobotics describes the device as having an “in-built brain” that, with the appropriate “training,” becomes more advanced over time. Eventually, its artificial intelligence (AI) memory will learn to pick and sort a variety of waste streams at a rate comparable with humans, says the firm. Once the Grundon robot is proficient in identifying and separating plastics, the company says it will begin training the robot also to be able to pick steel or aluminum cans, paper and cardboard. The BBC article indicates Grundon hopes the technology can help it increase the volume of recyclable materials it captures and to move it toward its goal of having a fully autonomous sorting plant Ed Fagan, Grundon’s head of projects, is quoted by the BBC as saying, “Both optical and robotic sorters can be deployed alongside humans in our [material] sorting facilities. We can really see robotic sorters making a difference in environments which are less well suited for humans, such as the sorting of contaminated waste or working in areas with high levels of noise and dust.” ZenRobotics says worker safety is playing an important role with customers such as Grundon. “The ability to continue doing the work that they do whilst keeping people out of harm’s way entirely is an opportunity that is too good to miss,” states the company. Grundon also has a ZenRobotics Heavy Picker robot, designed to handle bulky materials, and a ZenBrain equipped with what ZenRobotics  calls “a highly advanced recognition ability and autonomous decision-making.” In a Dec. 15 hearing, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight welcomed four panelists to examine and identify solutions to plastic waste. Panelists included Dr. Pete Myers, founder, CEO and chief scientist for Environmental Health Services; Judith Enck, president of Bennington, Vermont-based nonprofit Beyond Plastics ; Matt Seaholm, CEO of the Washington-based Plastics Industry Association ; and Eric Hartz, co-founder and president of Atlanta-based plastics recycler Nexus Circular. In and of itself, the hearing was viewed as an encouraging sign by the Washington-based American Chemistry Council (ACC), says the organization’s Vice President of Plastics, Joshua Baca, who lauds both parties in the Senate for addressing solutions that keep used plastic out of the environment. Baca notes that “rapidly growing advanced recycling technologies offer a vital pathway toward achieving plastics circularity.”  “Continued investments in advanced recycling are key to promoting a circular economy for plastics,” he says. Baca adds that Hartz’s testimony helped explain the advanced technology his company uses to recycle plastics that typically are not recycled through traditional processes, while also helping to clarify the distinction between advanced recycling and incineration. During his testimony, Hartz said, “The used plastics we accept are not waste. They are materials that have been segregated from the waste stream and often bound for landfills. There are no odor issues where we operate. We do some light sorting for suitability. Almost all the used plastics we process meet the ISO 14021 definition of postconsumer plastics. We cover a broad array of plastics: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and hard-to-recycle films. “There is no burning, gasification, nor incineration, which all occur in the presence of oxygen and at much higher temperatures of 1,800 to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said. “Some mistakenly equate advanced recycling to incineration. Besides being three- to four- times hotter, incineration requires oxygen, whereas our process has none. Actually, our process would fail with oxygen present, since it would not yield sellable circular outputs.”  Baca says Hartz set out a clear, encouraging path to deploy technologies such as pyrolysis that can significantly increase the types and amounts of plastics that can be recycled. “In addition, Hartz dispelled some of the inaccuracies around advanced technologies being spread by organizations that are unfamiliar with these technologies, including organizations at the hearing,” Baca says. “Unfortunately, companies that are actually recycling plastics must correct misinformation from those who are not.”  The recyclability of different forms of plastic has come into question recently, namely in an Oct. 24 report released by Greenpeace USA entitled “Circular Claims Fall Flat Again,” which concludes that most of the plastic generated in the U.S. cannot be recycled. In the report, Greenpeace says no type of plastic packaging in the U.S. meets the definition of recyclable as outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy Initiative that calls for a 30 percent threshold “across multiple regions, collectively representing at least 400 million inhabitants.”  The report claims that the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene, two plastics most often considered recyclable in the U.S., fall below the initiative’s threshold. Moreover, Greenpeace says U.S. households generated an estimated 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, but only 2.4 million tons were recycled. The organization has called for the adoption of the Global Plastics Treaty, which aims to significantly decrease plastic production and increase refill and reuse. It also has urged companies to take steps to phase out single-use plastics and commit to standardized reusable packaging. Similarly, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Jared Huffman of California recently joined with Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California to introduce the Protecting Communities from Plastics Act (PCPA), which they say addresses the plastic production crisis. The PCPA would establish stricter rules for petrochemical plants to safeguard the health of American communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also targeting the chemical recycling of plastics. It would create new nationwide targets for plastic source reduction and reuse in the packaging and food service sectors. During the Senate hearing, Seaholm said, “We appreciate the commitment of this committee to pursue solutions that reduce waste. There’s a saying in our industry: We love plastic. We hate plastic waste. The way we see it, any molecule of plastic material that leaves the economy is truly a waste. We need to collect, sort and ultimately reprocess more material. And that goes for all substrates, not just plastic.”  Seaholm outlined potential policy approaches for Congress to consider, including increased investments in critical recycling infrastructure to ensure that collection, sortation and processing can keep up with the complexities of all materials in the marketplace; promoting end-market development for the variety of plastic resins to ensure demand remains for recycled materials; and encouraging innovations in recycling technologies to ensure materials that cannot economically be recovered through traditional methods can still be recycled. The five goals announced in the company’s latest sustainability effort include: Reach zero waste to landfill at 97 percent of its production facilities by 2030. Make 100 percent of its products recyclable, with recyclability targets benchmarked by weight and consolidated at a company level. Achieve an average of 60-percent-recycled raw material content across products. Attain global gender pay parity, which is on track to be achieved by 2024. Evaluate the sustainability performance for 80 percent of total spend with suppliers, which Greif says can have a greater impact across its value chain. “These 2030 targets reflect our determination as a global company to do our part in building a more sustainable future for our people and the planet,” Greif President and CEO Ole Rosgaard says. “Together, they create a roadmap to success for our customers, colleagues and the communities in which we operate and serve.” Bothwell, Washington-based DTG Recycle has announced the acquisition of substantially all assets of 1 Green Planet, Renton, Washington. 1 Green Planet provides its customers with electronics management services, including information technology asset disposition, certified electronics recycling and secure data and product destruction. This acquisition by DTG Recycle builds on its history of construction, demolition, commercial recycling and recent entry into organics recycling . “The acquisition of 1 Green Planet aligns with DTG and our mission to offer a comprehensive approach to recycling and waste services,” DTG Recycle CEO Tom Vaughn says. “By acquiring 1 Green Planet, DTG now offers another opportunity to further our customers’ sustainability goals. We are excited to continue giving exceptional service to 1 Green Planet’s customers and add more services to DTG’s repertoire.” Following a recent investment by Australia-based Macquarie Asset Management , DTG Recycle will leverage its existing network of facilities to make e-scrap recycling services more accessible throughout Puget Sound and Washington state, the company says. DTG Recycle is welcoming 1 Green Planet employees to the team and offers a full package of benefits,  as well as training and education opportunities, such as tuition reimbursement, DTG University continuing education and DTG’s in-house CDL driver training school. The electronics recycling company refurbishes electronics, destroys data-bearing devices such as hard drives and dismantles and processes other electronic items. The company serves a wide variety of industries, including hospitality, various medical fields, dental, entertainment, government and aerospace.