US waste intelligence platform Greyparrot has partnered with recycling and waste sorting systems provider VAN DYK Recycling Solutions, which services more than 50% of the country's waste management market.

The companies plan to retrofit large materials recovery facilities with advanced AI sorting capabilities to boost recycling rates, maximise material purity and digitally quantify emissions.

VAN DYK will serve as the sole distributor of the Greyparrot Analyzer across all 50 US states. The system currently uses AI cameras to provide 100% visibility into waste streams at recycling plants across more than 20 countries.

 In 2023, it helped facilities analyse more than 25bn waste objects, characterising them into 89 categories in real time to reveal seven layers of data, including material type, mass, financial value, brand and greenhouse gas emissions.

The use of AI in waste management could be revolutionary for packaging producers, helping them to increase recycling efficiency, comply with recycling regulations and improve recyclable packaging design.

Greyparrot CEO Mikela Druckman commented: “The US market represents a huge opportunity for deploying AI waste analytics. We will meet the growing demand from the largest US waste facilities to digitise and automate the sorting of recyclables to process a massive amount of waste and unlock its full financial value."

The strategic alliance with VAN DYK has been formalised on the heels of Greyparrot and Bollegraaf announcing a planned rollout of AI into global recycling plants in February 2024.

In 2023, Greyparrot was shortlisted for RECOUP’s best innovation in equipment or technology to improve the collection, sorting, reprocessing or re-use of plastics award.