New robot separates plastic from waste at recycling plants

Catalan company Picvisa and Ferrovial Servicios have created a robot that separates plastic from waste at recycling plants and is already being pilot tested in Els Hostalets de Pierola, a small town in the province of Barcelona.

The machine is able to detect and sort plastic containers from waste, thereby helping to increase recycling plants' efficiency.

The robot uses artificial vision to scan containers and packaging before separating them from unusable material. It also uses machine learning and deep learning to select plastic from waste for its subsequent recycling.

According to Picvisa president Luís Seguí, the new system "has two effects: it increases efficiency in terms of residue selection and reuse along with the environmental benefits that are achieved when that is improved."