Veolia unveils AI‍-‍powered robot arm to boost recycling rates

After successful deployment in the UK, Veolia has installed an AI-powered robot arm in a material recovery facility at its Bibra Lake Resource Recovery Park in Western Australia. The company says that the system, which can sort seven different types of plastic with 95% accuracy and process materials 2–3 times faster than traditional methods, aims to significantly boost the state’s recycling rate, while enhancing workplace safety through automation.

Practical experience overseas has already shown that a single robot arm placed at the end of a sorting facility, known as the last chance line, has successfully boosted resource recovery rates by 40–70%.

“This technology represents a game-changing solution for Western Australia’s recycling challenges ― especially in a rapidly expanding resource recovery sector,” said Veolia ANZ CEO Richard Kirkman. “As a fast-growing sector where labour shortages are becoming increasingly common, it was inevitable that automated technology, which can recognise and sort materials for recycling at speed, would become part of Veolia’s world-leading resource recovery facilities.

“There are so many benefits to automating this part of the resource recovery system. We increase recycling rates to divert more waste from landfill, make the work environment safer, reduce labour costs and, through the machine’s smart operating system, we can track the quality and quantity of the resources we recover at a higher level of detail in real time, and instantly report on them.”

This particular robot will be focused on separating PET plastics, used in many drink containers, and mixed coloured plastics. When it is first switched on the picking accuracy rate is usually around 80%, but with further testing, and the input of a human operator to review its effectiveness, the accuracy rate is expected to quickly rise to better than 95%. This ability to be rapidly trained means it will be able to detect and sort new forms of plastic products and packaging as they are introduced.

The investment by Veolia is part of the company’s global Green Up strategy that has Australia in the spotlight as a key region to invest in building the circular economy of the future. Through this innovation Veolia is taking another step forward to increase the amount of plastic that is recycled in Western Australia, where plastic recycling remains low.

According to the latest National Waste Report figures, Western Australia’s recycling rate of 6.9% lags behind the national average of 12.5%, with more than 90% of plastic waste still going to landfill. That national challenge continues to grow as well with the quantity of plastic waste generated in Australia increasing by 12% from 2.66 Mt to 2.99 Mt, while our population only increased by 8%.

“These recycling rates in Australia demand immediate action. This is simultaneously an environmental issue, a waste issue, a consumption issue and an economic issue,” Kirkman said. “Every piece of plastic that is recycled is a valuable resource that we can reuse to make new products, boost our economy and reduce carbon emissions.”

Image: Supplied