Denmark: Construction Waste to be Processed by Robotic Sorting Plant

Danish recycling company RGS Nordic, which processes up to one-third of Denmark’s construction waste annually, invests in an advanced robotic sorting plant set to be installed centrally in Copenhagen.

The firm wants to ensure better sorting and increased recycling. According to the information, this is done in collaboration with Finnish ZenRobotics and Terex Recycling Systems, who will supply a fully automated plant, which will be installed at one of RGS Nordic’s waste processing facilities.

“We are investing in a state-of-the-art sorting plant aimed at construction waste which cannot be sorted out well enough at construction sites,” RGS Nordic COO Rasmus Brødsgaard Buch was quoted. “Using robotic technology, we want to ensure that valuable waste resources end up higher in the waste hierarchy while better supporting our customers with accurate waste data that helps them document their sustainability efforts within the area of waste. We believe that there is great untapped potential in utilizing technology in our sector, and that the robotic sorting facility will, therefore, be crucial in achieving increased circularity for the construction industry.”

As underlined by ZenRobotics, a Terex brand, the facility’s robots can work around the clock, make up to 9,200 picks per hour and handle objects weighing up to 40 kilos. “The fact that the plant is fully automated also increases the safety of the employees who work with the waste streams, as they often do not come into direct contact with the waste. The quality and quantity of waste that is recycled is also improved by the AI-powered robots, which continuously improve in recognizing valuable waste resources and can be adapted to sorting tasks, in line with customer demand and market opportunities.” The coming RGS Nordic robotic sorting plant is scheduled to be operational by the summer of 2024.

terex.com/zenrobotics, rgsnordic.com/en

(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 2/2024, Page 17, Photo: ZenRobotics)