Recycleye, MSS partner to advance sorting

Optical sorting equipment manufacturer MSS Inc., headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and British technology company Recycleye have announced a strategic partnership in North America that will combine their strengths and bring new technology to the waste and recycling sectors.

Recycleye artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been incorporated with MSS’ optical sorting solution, creating what MSS says is a powerful new family of offerings known as MSS Vivid (Visually Verified Identification) AI. This new solution is unique among current AI detection and extraction offerings in that it combines Recycleye AI vision systems with MSS air ejection system capabilities to sort material at the highest volumes, the company adds.

Image courtesy of MSS

Using field-proven air ejection as the extraction method allows recyclers to run higher belt speeds, process more volume and eject side-by-side materials on a belt similar to optical sorting but without the limitations of a mechanical effector that is commonly used with robots. MSS Vivid AI combines the reliable rapid-sorting air jets the company is known for with the granular real-time data provided by AI that plant managers need to drive efficiency and profitability in their MRF, MSS says.

With MSS’ background, the company says it can pair the right detection method with the right extraction method. Within the family of products, MSS also can offer a mechanical robot paired with Recycleye AI technology, which can be more suitable in certain applications. Additionally, the companies can pair the AI vision system with a near-infrared (NIR) sensor or metal detection.

Using AI, MSS Vivid AI can detect black plastics and subtle differences in object color, shape and texture as in the case of sorting used beverage cans (UBCs) from non-UBC aluminum or thermoforms from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The AI solution from Recycleye (known as Recycleye Vision) also can to identify food-grade from nonfood grade plastics, MSS notes.

Customers buying MSS Vivid AI will benefit from the established customer service MSS, a CP Group company, offers, which means technicians are available for on-site response and rapid access to replacement parts overnight across the U.S.

The new product will be available in this summer and will be introduced at San Diego-based CP Group’s booth No. 3629 at WasteExpo in New Orleans May 1-4.

Greg Thibado, vice president of MSS Inc., says, “We are excited to bring this innovative pairing to the North American waste sorting and recycling markets. Incorporating the Recycleye AI platform provides their outstanding technology to our established sorting solutions. Working with the award-winning team at Recycleye, we know that we have the best AI solution adapted to our customers’ needs.”

Victor Dewulf, CEO of Recycleye, says, “Recycleye and MSS Inc. share the same vision of creating a world without waste that is clean and sustainable to the generations that follow. We are proud to combine our technology with these globally trusted sorting capabilities for the North American market and confident that together, we can further reduce the impact of waste on the planet.”