Tetra Pak, a leading packaging company, sought to enhance the recovery of recyclables in Australia. They approached the sorting center APR (Australian Paper Recovery with a challenge to increase the tonnage and purity of sorted materials.
Presort, tetrapak
Challenge
Solution
To address Tetra Pak’s objectives, APR reached out to Waste Robotics to develop a customized solution. Waste Robotics designed a retrofit robotic sorting line, incorporating advanced technology and efficient picking tools. The implemented solution consisted of a retrofit robotic sorting line seamlessly integrated into APR’s existing infrastructure. It featured Fanuc robots equipped with AI vision capabilities, including colored, 2D, and 3D cameras. Waste Robotics also provided their proprietary robotic grappling tool called the “VENTURI” for efficient picking of various object shapes.
Results
Waste Robotics’ robotic sorting solution brought significant results for Tetra Pak and APR. The implementation led to a recovery rate increase of over 30% for Tetra Pak cartons, contributing to enhanced recycling efforts in Australia. APR achieved a higher purity rate in the final sorted product, thanks to the precise identification and classification capabilities of the AI vision system and efficient picking using the VENTURI tool. Waste analytics reports provided valuable insights into composition, volumes, and patterns of recycled materials, aiding Tetra Pak in making informed decisions. The high-capacity robot sorted up to 1800 Tetra Pak cartons per hour with a precision rate of 98% and capture rate of 95%, improving productivity and the quality of sorted recyclables. Overall, the collaboration between Tetra Pak, APR, and Waste Robotics resulted in improved sustainability outcomes, streamlined operations, and valuable waste analytics insights.
