Following previous innovations such as the introduction of its kerbside recycling products, the Kerb-Sort vehicle and the Wheelie Box, Bryson has worked with pioneering provider Recycleye Limited, to introduce this leading-edge technology to sustain continued growth of its organisation, which supports work for local people and helps the UK circular economy.

The waste-picking robot, known as Recycleye Robotics, performs the physical tasks of identifying, picking and placing materials at a dependably faster rate than human operatives, and in a consistent and reliable way. Automated waste sorting is also more accurate, bringing greater purity in sorted items. Robotics can run 24/7, which is more economically efficient than reliance on manual pickers, a role which often experiences high turnover and recruitment issues.

The intelligent picking system is powered by Recycleye Vision, an AI computer vision system driven by machine learning, which detects all individual items on waste streams by material and object. The waste-sorting robot is expected to help Bryson improve the quantity and quality of their materials they send for recycling.

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 and helping to improve the efficiency and operations of the plant’s sorting processes. The robot is used on existing waste streams, alongside but separate to human operatives, who continue to work in the company’s facilities.

Bryson Recycling collects and processes materials from over 50% of homes in Northern Ireland and employs over 300 people across 9 sites in Northern Ireland, Donegal and Wales. This supports work for local people and the continued development of the UK’s circular economy as the recyclates stay in the UK. This latest initiative is another example of Bryson Recycling delivering on its mission to maintain the best recycling quality standards and to work with local recycling companies.