Bryson Recycling installs robotic picker from Recycleye

Bryson Recycling, a recycler based in Northern Ireland, has installed a robotic picker from Recycleye, a manufacturer based in London. Bryson Recycling says it hopes the robot will increase the quality and efficiency of its operations.

According to a news release from Bryson, the waste-picking robot is called Recycleye Robotics and performs the physical tasks of identifying, picking and placing materials faster than humans. The company says the robot is also more accurate, improving the purity of sorted items.

According to Recycleye, the Recycleye Robotics can run 24/7, which is more economically efficient than relying on manual pickers. The intelligent picking system is powered by Recycleye Vision, an artificial intelligence (AI) computer vision system driven by machine learning. The system detects all individual items on waste streams by material and object.

“Waste automation will help solve the world’s waste problem, and we are so proud to have been chosen by Bryson to bring this automation to Northern Ireland,” says Victor Dewulf, CEO of Recycleye. “Our Recycleye Vision solution enables Bryson to track the purity of its sorted materials, helping to generate greater value for this leading social enterprise, which is equally good for local people and for the planet.”

Recycleye says the AI system sits on top of the facility’s existing waste stream conveyor belts, providing the site manager with total visibility on the waste stream. The robot is used on existing waste streams, alongside but separate to humans, who continue to work in the company’s facilities.

Bryson Recycling collects and processes materials from more than 50 percent of homes in Northern Ireland and employs more than 300 people across nine sites in Northern Ireland, Donegal and Wales.  This supports work for local people and the continued development of the U.K.’s circular economy as the recyclables stay in the U.K. 

“We are delighted to be working with Recycleye to assess the potential of AI in our plant,” says Eric Randal, director of Bryson. “Our expectation is that the technology will help track and improve quality standards for key material streams we sell to local markets which will ultimately help the growth of the U.K.’s circular economy.”