Packaging Gateway

Daily Newsletter

11 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

LRS opens new material recovery facility in Chicago

The plant will have an initial processing capacity of 25t per hour, with hopes to improve this to 35t.

American independent provider of waste diversion, recycling, and portable services LRS has opened a new material recovery facility (MRF), called ‘The Exchange’, in Chicago, US.

This facility is expected to ‘revolutionise’ waste management and recycling practices across the country by minimising environmental impact across the Midwest region of the country, LRS said.

The Exchange has been developed with an investment of more than $50m. The development work also received crucial capital support from circular economy investor Closed Loop Partners.

This collaboration with Closed Loop Partners will allow LRS to integrate new technologies into the MRF.

Located within LRS’ 25-acre ecopark, the MRF will have an initial processing capacity of 25 tons (t) of recyclables every hour, with plans to expand this to 35t per hour in the future.

It will further help in boosting waste diversion efforts in the Chicagoland metropolitan area.

The centralised location of the new site is capable of storing 140 waste and recycling trucks to minimise overall transport emissions and expenses.

LRS' COO John Larsen said: “The Exchange stands as a powerful embodiment of our vision to become the safest, most innovative waste recycler globally.

“It symbolises our unwavering dedication to spearhead transformative change, not only within our industry but also within communities we have the privilege to support.”

The Exchange is capable of managing different types of waste such as non-hazardous and non-special municipal solid waste, single-stream recyclables, as well as other types of recyclable materials.

Managed by 11 sorting staff members, the MRF features advanced sorting equipment, including six optical sorters, three Fire Rover Units, and a CP Auger Screen.

With these capabilities, The Exchange is expected to divert approximately 224 million pounds of recyclables every year while reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the process.

So far, this facility has created more than 50 permanent employment opportunities along with 95 construction jobs.

Generative AI remains an untapped potential across the consumer industry

GlobalData estimates the total AI market will be worth $909 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 35.2% between 2022 and 2030. The consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors are undergoing digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences. AI can help companies operating in these sectors by significantly reducing costs and production times. In Nestlé's 2022 full-year results, the company announced a renewed focus on digitalization to drive growth. Financial and reputational pressures associated with supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns are also driving interest in the digitalization of supply chains. Data science and ML are strong investments across all areas. However, the sectors cannot stop at AI-powered data analytics applications. They must also explore computer vision (CV), smart robots, AI sensors that automate manufacturing and distribution logistics, and generative AI tools that increase efficiency across corporate departments and customer service operations and enable innovation in product design. For the most part, the consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors will not play a significant role in creating and developing AI hardware or platforms. Instead, these sectors will help scale up the adoption of AI technologies, such as CV, conversational platforms, and smart robots. This adoption will be driven by the financial benefits and potential cost savings AI automation delivers across global supply chains.