EverestLabs robot keeps more than 1M aluminum cans out of landfills

EverestLabs uses RecycleOS and robotics to increase recycling rates. Credit: EverestLabs

Even in states that offer refunds for aluminum beverage cans, many of these cans end up in landfills while sustainability concerns rise. In September 2023, the Can Manufacturers Institute, or CMI, funded an EverestLabs robot at a Caglia Environmental material recovery facility, or MRF, in California.

Just months later, CMI said that the system is on track to capture more than 1 million used beverage cans (UBCs) a year. Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings, two CMI members, provided the funding for a two-year equipment lease in which Caglia will share revenue from the UBCs captured with the robot 50/50 with CMI.

“We are excited about the lease model because it highlights that aluminum beverage cans are consistently one of the most valuable recyclable commodities and further exemplifies how this recycled beverage container pays its own cost of recycling due to that high market value,” stated John Rost, vice president of global sustainability and regulatory affairs at Crown. “CMI research has concluded that without the vital revenue from UBCs, most MRFs would not be able to operate without a change to their business model.”

Cans are often missorted, says CMI

The Can Manufacturers Institute is a national trade association of metal can manufacturers and suppliers. It said the U.S. can industry produces about 130.7 billion food, beverage, and general-line cans annually and employs more than 28,000 people in 33 states, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa. The industry generates about $15.7 billion in direct economic activity, according to CMI.

However, up to 1 in 4 aluminum beverage cans is missorted at a typical material recovery facility (MRF), found CMI research. In 2022, testing found five loss points across three MRFs. With a typical loss of seven to 36 UBCs per minute, an MRF can lose $71,900 in revenue per year, according to CMI’s return-on-investment (ROI) calculator.

CMI has undertaken a multi-year effort to recapture that revenue, including grants from The Recycling Partnership with capital from Ardagh and Crown. The five grants funded in 2021 doubled expected performance, supporting equipment that captured 140 million aluminum beverage cans each year.

EverestLabs robot sorting aluminum cans. Credit: EverestLabs

Caglia chooses EverestLabs for efficiency

The Caglia family has provided solid-waste and recycling services to the San Joaquin Valley and the Fresno area for more than 80 years. Its Cedar Avenue Recycling Transfer Station (CARTS) opened in 2004. The integrated MRF processes trash, construction/demolition debris, green waste/organics, concrete and asphalt, and single-stream recycling from commercial, government, industrial, and residential customers from all over the Central Valley.

Caglia Environmental and CMI worked with EverestLabs to deploy a robot that uses a 3D depth-sensing camera and artificial intelligence to detect and sort single-stream recyclables, specifically UBCs. CMI and Caglia said they chose EverestLabs because its robotics and AI could be deployed within a few hours with no downtime.

“We put EverestLabs’ robot on the ‘last-chance line‘ and have it focusing on aluminum beverage cans so that it’s picking ‘gold’ out of the trash,” said Corey Stone, plant maintenance manager at CARTS. “This lease provides a no-risk, no-cost way for Caglia to advance its goal of capturing all recoverable material coming through its facility.”

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EverestLabs makes RecycleOS easy to use

EverestLabs said in a release that its RecycleOS, an enterprise AI, analytics, and automation system, can help recycling plants increase material recovery rates, help manufacturers reuse more recyclables, and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Fremont, Calif.-based company has financing from leading U.S., Canadian, and Japanese venture funds, raising $16.1 million in September 2022.

How much customization was necessary?

“From a hardware perspective, there was no customization needed for deployment,” Jagadeesh Ambati, founder and CEO of EverestLabs, told The Robot Report.

“EverestLabs’ RecycleOS easily deploys on any belt, including inclined and space-constrained locations, without costly retrofits,” he said. “On the other hand, our software can be customized to meet the needs of our customers.”

“For example, if there is plastic and aluminum available to be picked, the operator can prioritize having the robot pick aluminum over plastic,” explained Ambati. “At Caglia, we prioritize aluminum but pick PET when there is no aluminum on the line.”

In addition, EverestLabs stated that it provides “minute-by-minute data on what types of materials are coming across lines,” so CMI and Caglia can understand the rate of payback on the lease.

“EverestLabs’ real-time and easy-to-use analytics platform, alongside an easily retrofittable robotic cell with zero disruptions and guaranteed highest recovery in the industry, ensures all possible UBCs are recovered,” asserted Corey Stone, plant manager at Caglia. “With CMI wanting to recycle more aluminum beverage cans and Caglia becoming a recycling industry leader, this program is a win-win for everyone.”

Robots achieve recycling results

The robotics and AI from EverestLabs have recovered an average of three UBCs per minute, 1,565 cans per day, or 32,000 lb. of UBCs per year, putting them back into the circular supply chain.

Not only does this reduce waste sent to landfills and save 671.4 kilowatt hours, but it also generates revenue, noted CMI and Caglia.

“Considering metal recycles forever — with 93% of recycled aluminum beverage cans turned into new cans and recycled aluminum 94% less carbon-intensive than making primary aluminum — it is imperative that recycling sortation facilities capture all cans for the aluminum industry to buy and recycle,” said Jens Irion, CEO of Ardagh Metal Packaging – North America.

Partners look ahead

Caglia, CMI, and EverestLabs said they will provide updates with further data after the equipment has operated for a longer period of time.

Caglia plans to use its robotics experience to see how else it can deploy technology to maximize its recovery efforts. CMI intends to support additional can-capture equipment at MRFs with the lease model and to refine its approach to can capture equipment financing.

“We have learned several lessons since the deployment in August,” observed Ambati. “Firstly, we found that the lease model has the potential to pay for itself based on the recovered value in last chance residue lines going to landfill.”

“Secondly, the way this partnership was set up resulted in a win-win for packaging manufacturers like Crown Holdings and Ardagh Metal Packaging, which funded the robot lease through CMI, and MRFs like Caglia Environmental,” he said.

“With new investment models, we can speed adoption of AI solutions to eliminate losing UBCs to landfill, as this is a massive loss for the entire ecosystem,” said Ambati. “Due to the success of this partnership, we believe it can be replicated in any recovery facility for any packaging type.”

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