EverestLabs, developer of AI-enabled operating system for recycling, has signed a contract to install up to eight RecycleOS℠-powered robotics cells at the Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) Sunset Park Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Brooklyn, New York. With four robotics cells installed in spring 2022 and additional units being planned in the coming months, North America’s largest commingled recycling facility is experiencing significant cost savings and increased materials recovery.
New York City (NYC) operates the largest curbside recycling program in the United States. As a result, SMR processes more than 300,000 tons of glass, metal and plastic produced by NYC and several other municipalities in the NY-NJ metro region each year. SMR is the processor of 100% of the metal, glass, and plastic, and 50% of the paper collected by the NYC Department of Sanitation throughout the five boroughs. For SMR, this means speed, efficacy and accuracy when picking and recovering recycled materials are essential.
EverestLabs’ robotics cells and RecycleOS technology will help improve SMR’s overall materials recovery, help address the current labor shortage by augmenting human sorters, and deliver actionable data between MRF operators, CPG brands, and packaging manufacturers. With the smallest robotics cell footprint in the industry, EverestLabs’ robotics cells can be installed on incline belts where it’s difficult for workers to recover materials. SMR currently has two robotics cells installed on its high-speed inclined belt and can further increase the efficiency and accuracy of materials recovery, as well as recover net new materials profitably.
“EverestLabs’ RecycleOS is a critical technology for SMR to effectively recover recyclable materials from the New York metropolitan area. We are experienced operators of MRFs and users of robotics in other locations. After extensive due diligence in the 2H of 2021, we chose EverestLabs for our Sunset Park location,” said Tom Ferretti, general manager at SMR. “These installations allow us and our partners to stay committed to sustainability while also saving us on costs and enable moving SMR’s key personnel into higher-priority positions across the plant. It is a win for NYC recycling as we are recovering more, for our team members, and plant safety and efficiency.”
“Today’s landfills are overflowing with materials meant for recycling. Exacerbating this problem is the myriad of challenges faced by MRFs, from staffing issues to equipment inefficiencies and lack of real time data to optimize recovery every minute,” said JD Ambati, founder and CEO at EverestLabs. “By partnering with EverestLabs, the entire SMR organization has made New York a national model for simplifying and improving materials recovery, and most importantly protecting our environment. We are excited to participate in that journey.”
By combining EverestLabs’ robotics cells with its highly accurate RecycleOS AI software, MRFs worldwide have access to actionable data and modern automation solutions that allow them to continually optimize their plant operations and increase their recyclables recovery rates substantially while lowering costs. RecycleOS-powered solutions deliver 99% uptime, greater than 95% accuracy for identification, and over 90% pick success rate (efficacy) for robotics cells.