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LRS plans to use RecycleOS to automate sorting on The Exchange. Source: EverestLabs
Companies are coming together to prove that robotics and artificial intelligence can help make recycling more economically feasible. EverestLabs, developer of RecycleOS for material recovery facilities, today announced a partnership with Lakeshore Recycling Systems. LRS is the fifth largest provider of independent waste diversion, recycling and portable services in the United States.
LRS is EverestLabs’ RecycleOS sorting robots have been installed at The Exchange, a new materials recovery facility (MRF). Financing was provided by Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) members Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings.
The robot will operate on The Exchange’s residual lines to increase revenue and ensure maximum efficiency, recovery and recycling of used beverage cans (UBC). This helps us maintain quality control on more than 350,000 pounds (158,757.3 kg) of recycled aluminum each month, equivalent to approximately 12 million aluminum beverage cans.
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Recycling requires higher recovery rates
CMI’s 2020 “Aluminum Beverage Cans: Drivers of the U.S. Recycling System” report found that up to 25% of all UBCs entering MRFs are unrecoverable and may be missorted or lost. Additionally, industry statistics show that U.S. consumers recycle less than half of their aluminum beverage cans.
“UBC is not leveraging its full potential in the circular economy,” CMI said. The institute has established the appropriate classification of recycling centers as one of them. Four Pillars of Action To reach the US UBC recycling rate target.
Collecting missorted cans at MRFs is one way to increase U.S. aluminum beverage can recycling rates, CMI said.
CMI is the national trade association for the metal can manufacturing industry and suppliers in the United States. The sector has plants in 33 states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa, employs more than 28,000 people and generates about $15.7 billion in direct economic activity, it said. CMI.
CMI, EverestLabs Continue Robot Recycling Efforts
The LRS Rental Program is the latest in a multi-year CMI effort to demonstrate that new technology can increase recycling revenue for MRFs by capturing misclassified UBC. This partnership comes on the heels of a collaboration between CMI, EverestLabs and Caglia Environmental capturing more than 1,500 additional UBCs per day following installation at the Caglia MRF.
“The two robot lease agreements, which include revenue sharing, allow CMI to capitalize on the fact that UBC continues to be one of the most valuable recycling commodities,” said Scott Breen, senior vice president of sustainability at CMI. “CMI receives a portion of all revenue generated from cans collected by the robots and is using those funds to fund more can capture equipment at the MRF.”
“Chicago Exchange is our second project with CMI and has supported CMI’s mission to significantly increase the amount of UBC recycled,” added JD Ambati, founder and CEO of EverestLabs. “Our highly accurate and easily deployed vision systems and robots enable retrofitting of existing sorting and last chance lines at a perfect cost of ownership for both MRFs and aluminum packaging companies.”
EverestLabs, based in Fremont, California, claimed: RecycleOS helps increase material recovery rates, preventing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy in manufacturing new packaging. Major venture funds in the US, Canada and Japan support the company.
LRS opens state-of-the-art recycling facility
Since 2013, LRS has served millions of residential and commercial customers in nine states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas and Arkansas. The company owns and operates more than 70 facilities and has approximately 2,300 full-time employees.
LRS, Rosemont, Illinois announced the grand opening of The Exchange in August 2023. We installed an EverestLabs RecycleOS robot cell late last year.
The exchange accepts up to 1,200 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day and currently processes 25 tons of recyclables per hour. The facility features a transfer station and single-stream sorting line, as well as room for future expansion. We accept single-stream recyclables, non-hazardous, non-specialized MSW, and a variety of other recyclables.
LRS says RecycleOS allows its facilities to divert 224 million pounds (101.6 million kg) of recyclables each year, avoiding thousands of tons of CO2 emissions in the Chicagoland area. The company added that it is using The Exchange for training. Corporate partners and organizations for responsible production, consumption and recycling behavior.
“to LRSWe are focused on pushing the boundaries of recycling, and partnering with EverestLabs to install this innovative technology amplifies our commitment to sustainable recycling solutions,” said Regional Vice President John Sliwicki. LRS. “By integrating EverestLabs’ RecycleOS robots into our Chicagoland materials recovery facility, we have further improved our ability to rescue recyclables from landfills and advanced our mission to invest in infrastructure improvements that reduce our environmental impact.”
