Metaspectral secures $419K from CleanBC Plastics Action Fund

Metaspectral, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company that develops software to advance computer vision using deep learning and hyperspectral imagery, has secured $419,000 from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund, building on $300,000 the company received from the initial launch of the fund in 2021.

Metaspectral says its technology makes it possible for recycling facilities to sort previously indistinguishable materials at the polymer level in real-time using computer vision and integrated robotics. The company adds that large quantities of plastic can be sorted and recycled more efficiently and accurately, and its software is already being used by a large recycling company in Canada and has also attracted significant international interest.

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British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy dedicated $10 million to the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund in 2022 for projects to reduce plastic pollution, following an initial $5 million investment in 2021.

“Our technology uses deep learning to analyze hyperspectral imagery from specialized cameras placed over a conveyor belt carrying recyclables; the images captured contain information from across the electromagnetic spectrum, making it possible for our algorithms to identify materials immediately and sort them accordingly,” says Migel Tissera, Metaspectral’s chief technology officer and co-founder.

The company says the financing will support the continued development of its technology, with an emphasis on differentiating homopolymer high-density polyethylene (HDPE)—often found in milk containers—from copolymer HDPE, which is typically found in containers used to store automotive oil and detergents.

Milk containers were added to British Columbia’s deposit-refund system in 2022, which Metaspectral says adds up to 40 million additional containers to the province’s recycling system annually. Canada will require plastic packaging across the country to contain at least 50 percent recycled content by 2030.

“It has historically been impossible for humans or traditional cameras to differentiate between plastics at this level, meaning that to date, various types of plastics have been recycled in bulk together,” Metaspectral co-founder and CEO Francis Doumet says. “When postconsumer recycled plastic cannot have its purity guaranteed, its quality and market value decrease significantly.”