Sims Municipal Recycling to install eight EverestLabs robotic sorting cells in New York City MRF
EverestLabs 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, the MRF 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 New York and New Jersey metro region each year. SMR is the processor of 100 percent of the metal, glass, and plastic, and 50 percent of the paper collected by the NYC Department of Sanitation throughout the five boroughs. For SMR, this means speed and accuracy when picking and recovering recycled materials are essential.
EverestLabs' robotics cells and RecycleOS technology will help improve SMR's overall material recovery, help address the current labour 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 is able to further increase the efficiency and accuracy of materials recovery.
"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," says 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," says 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 RecycleOS AI software, MRFs have access to actionable data and automation that allow them to continually optimize their plant operations and increase their recyclables recovery rates substantially while lowering costs. RecycleOS-powered solutions deliver 99 percent uptime, greater than 95 percent accuracy for identification, and over 90 percent pick success rate for robotics cells.
