Netherlands firm Baetsen Recycling has purchased the world’s first robotic recycling system.
In a deal worth more than €1 million, Baetsen will use the ZenRobotics Recycler system to reclaim valuable raw materials from construction and demolition waste by using industrial robots controlled with artificial intelligence.
It will be installed from February 2013 by Busschers Recycling Techniek at Baetsen’s recycling plant in Son, Netherlands.
Baetsen Group chief executive Hans van Roosmalen said: “The increasing shortages in raw material supply, the under-utilised potential in waste materials and the complexities in manual waste sorting all demand a permanent, sustainable solution.
“Baetsen is taking the lead in recovering valuable fractions from waste. In the EU, materials recovery and resource efficiency are increasingly prioritised, and regulation in the near future will further focus in this area. Robotic recycling is the future – it is more efficient, cleaner and safer than existing methods.”
ZenRobotics chief commercial officer Rainer Rehn said: “ZenRobotics Recycler is an energy-efficient system for picking raw materials from waste. The system has a highly lucrative payback time. We see ZenRobotics Recycler as the solution for the raw materials shortage already felt globally.”
