This Friday, November 15th, marks the 27th annual America Recycles Day. This year, the Authority is celebrating by announcing a new upgrade that has been made at the Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center – two AI robots!
At the end of 2023, the Authority began exploring the idea of installing AI sorting robots at the recycling center to increase material recovery and allow for greater visibility into the recycling stream. Authority representatives visited the Sims Municipal Recycling Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Brooklyn, where this technology had already been installed and got to see firsthand how the robots and their AI vision systems work. The use of EverestLabs’ robotic arms and RecycleOS software have greatly optimized operations at the Sunset Park MRF in Brooklyn.
“The Authority feels it is important to stay up on the newest technologies that are available to us,” said Authority Executive Director Joshua Olbrys. “We are always researching and looking at new ways to safely divert and decrease the amount of materials going in to our Regional Landfill. It is critical to try new ways of accomplishing these goals,” he continued.
This May, a resolution was passed by the Authority’s Board of Directors to allow the Authority to enter into a three-year agreement with EverestLabs for the install and upkeep of the two AI robots at the Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center, which were fully installed and up and running by the end of October 2024.
The RecycleOS AI software not only gives the robotic arms the “eyes” that they need to work, but will also provide valuable data on the recyclables passing through this specific part of the sorting system. As items pass underneath the vision system that is situated above the conveyor belt, they are identified and categorized by the type of material they are made of. The AI software communicates with the robotic arm, telling it where on the conveyor belt a certain item is that needs to be separated out. As the item passes by the robotic arm, it is picked up using suction and thrown using a burst of air into the appropriate bin for recovery. In addition to identifying items that need to be sorted out, the AI software can also be used to identify items that have either not been sorted properly or items that are not accepted for recycling. This data can be used to see if there are any parts of the sorting process that need to be adjusted or if there is a need for more outreach and education on whether or not certain materials are recyclable.
“We are very excited to see the potential these machines have for changing up our entire recycling system,” said Authority Recycling Coordinator Eileen Brinck. “Personally, I think it’s really cool to see how AI technology can be added to recycling centers to monitor the quality of materials that we are both receiving and sending out for recycling,” she continued.
For more information on recycling or the Authority’s Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center, please visit www.ohswa.org or contact the Authority at 315-733-1224 or ohswa@ohswa.org. The Authority can also be reached on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.