Denmark commissions Scandinavia’s smartest AI-powered sorting plant

Danish environmental services company Solum A/S is setting up what it refers to as ‘one of Scandinavia’s most modern and advanced sorting plants’. It will process up to 25 000 tons of mixed waste per day and is expected to become operational this summer.

The new recycling hub will feature robotic technologies powered by artificial intelligence, developed by ZenRobotics and ReTec Miljø. Intelligent robots will sort materials ranging from combustible waste, bulky waste, metal and wood to plastic originating from municipalities, industry and business. 

Solum’s new robot waste sorting plant consists of multiple robot arms that lift objects up to 30kg and together handle up to 4 000 picks per hour 24/7. By comparison, a human can handle approximately 700 picks per hour. The sorting plant eliminates occupational health risks associated with manual sorting, increases the degree of purity by up to 98% and reduces the associated costs.

‘In Solum, circular business models and sustainability are part of our DNA. For a long time, we have been focused on how we can use new technology to give better solutions for our customers,’ says Morten Strandlod, commercial director at Solum. The new plant will not only raise the recycling percentage and the quality of the output fractions, it will also offer greater flexibility in waste sorting and a greater degree of documentation.