The EU is strongly committed to implementing extensive recycling solutions across the continent. Yet, so far, we’re only managing to recycle 38% of waste generated every year.
We still have much to do if we want to become the first carbon-neutral continent. Fortunately, there are abundant recycling solutions we can use to hasten this progress.
Keep reading to discover the most innovative green recycling solutions currently available.
Technological Recycling Solutions
Unsurprisingly, technology is the one area where recycling initiatives are advancing fast. These innovations are streamlining recycling, making it more accessible to industries and households.
These are some of the latest advances:
The Metaverse
According to the Green Deal, the EU wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% before 2030. The Metaverse is one of many steps in the right direction.
A connected world means more people can fulfil their workday responsibilities from home.
For starters, this reduces the need for carbon-emitting travel. It also means people have more time to dedicate to recycling and other green initiatives.
Internet of Waste (IoT)
IoT-enabled recycling and waste management help to cut down inefficiencies in waste logistics. Some of the devices used to ensure and enhance timely pickup include:
- Fill level sensors in containers, waste bins, and recycling stations
- Quality-assessing sensors
- Smart bins
These technologies optimize operational waste collection efficiency using advanced analytics and data.
For instance, fill-level sensors help collectors calculate emptying frequency with better accuracy. This eliminates unnecessary travel and saves time.
PureCycle Technology for Plastic
Plastics are one of the most polluting substances on Earth.
They take anything from 20 years to 1,000 years to decompose, and it’s difficult to recycle them completely. As they degrade, plastics also introduce toxins into the soil and water.
Thus, researchers are always looking for better ways to recycle plastics.
PureCycle technology is the answer. It removes contaminants, colour, and odour from plastics. It leaves only a reusable resin behind.
RFID Technology
Radiofrequency identification technology uses tiny circuits embedded into products.
These microscopic chips store information on each product. This includes recycling instructions and tips on how to combat contamination between materials.
They help sorting machines distinguish between materials for more effective recycling.
Waste Baler Management Systems
Modern accessories integrate with waste baling machines. They track irregularities, optimize material densities, improve handling, and save energy.
These innovations include:
- Remote assistance via Ethernet
- Integrated digital displays
- Drive-frequency inverters
- Wire run-out control systems
- Photo-electric sensors to initiate compaction
Chemical Recycling Solutions
Sustainable development goals drive the demand for secondary raw materials. This makes waste recycling a priority for various industries.
New techniques used to create recycled materials for high-value applications include:
- gasification
- solvolysis
- pyrolysis
These methods recover materials without degrading their quality. This ensures they make an effective replacement for virgin raw materials.
In this way, they contribute to:
- sustainability
- reduced costa
- fewer carbon emissions
- lowering environmental impacts
These techniques apply to textile manufacturing as well as plastic recycling. They help reduce the impact on landfills and lower company carbon footprints.
Plastic conversion units break polymers down into waxes, oils, and other useful chemicals.
They operate onsite. So, waste generators can install recycling solutions as part of their daily operations.
Mechanical Waste Sorting Advances
Mechanical waste sorting measures are evergreen recycling solutions. They remain the most profitable way to recover materials from various industries.
Unfortunately, this critical process relies heavily on manual labour to succeed. Now, recycling robots use AI to sort waste, automating and augmenting sorting lines.
They identify co-mingled waste materials. They assess their recycling potential and grind the best quality ones into high-value materials.
Again, this allows businesses to recycle waste on-site, reducing their carbon footprint and costs.
Autonomous waste collection vehicles automatically replace communal containers once they’re filled. These streamline waste logistics even further.
Similarly, programmable sorting lines work through mixed waste efficiently. Then, they sort it into bins for further processing.
These machines help minimize errors, picking efficiency and speed. They help reduce operational expenses and optimize quality control.
Advanced metal sorting systems are essential for scrap metal recycling and re-use industries. They help:
- remove contaminants
- upgrade feedstock streams
- increase material recovery efficiency
This results in high-quality metal alloys while saving time and money.
Waste Valorization
Waste valorization recovers materials without quality loss. It repurposes waste into new products.
For instance, anaerobic digesters, like bacteria, can convert organic and solid waste into usable energy in the form of biogas. Plastic-to-fuel conversion technologies also change plastic waste into usable energy in the form of oil.
Waste-to-Energy solutions are among the most promising and interesting recycling solutions available today.
Anaerobic digestion presents innovative food waste recycling solutions, too. These technologies involve little operator intervention and have a modular design.
In this way, restaurants can create biogas on-site. This reduces their reliance on petroleum gas to power their cooking appliances.
Artificial Intelligence
No doubt, AI is the hub at the centre of future recycling operations. Artificial intelligence removes the human element from recycling, eliminating effort and error.
It improves worker safety by reducing exposure to hazardous forms of waste. It also makes recycling easier to implement in any industry.
AI improves recycling performance. It enhances quality control and streamlines recycling waste collection logistics.
Improve Your Recycling Efforts
These exciting recycling solutions are certainly a way forward for all EU businesses. Especially those committed to meeting environmental mandates and targets.
If you’d like to improve your industry’s recycling efforts, you don’t need to wait for the new technologies to get started. You can implement tried-and-tested recycling measures right away.
We offer complete recycling solutions for managing industrial, packaging, and communal waste.
Browse our website for more solutions to help you meet your recycling targets, regardless of your industry. Alternatively, fill in our questionnaire to help us determine how we can help you.
