For the first time since project start, the EU-funded project showcased its fully automated AI-powered portable robotic material recovery facility (prMRF) at Verde.tec expo in Greece
Reclaim project has arrived, and how! The EU-funded project put all its weight behind the first public showcase of its AI-powered portable robotic material recovery facility (prMRF) at the Verde.tec exhibition in Paiania, Greece. This was the seventh edition of Verde.tec, Greece’s leading exhibition on the Environment and Circular Economy. We sent out a press release to announce our participation at the expo.
This was the special moment we’ve been waiting for since the project inception. Not unsurprisingly because our innovation is the world’s first prMRF supported by Artificial Intelligence, such as deep learning, machine learning and computer vision, and state-of-the-art robotics that can be deployed anywhere, even in remote areas to achieve local-scale material recovery operations with industrial-level efficiency.
The prMRF unit uses modern artificial intelligence systems and robotic sorters to achieve efficient sorting of recyclable municipal waste. These two technological solutions are integrated and operate collaboratively within a container, which can be easily transported to remote areas to undertake the recovery and sorting of recyclable materials.
This is a cost-effective solution that offers industrial-level productivity, enhancing the sustainability of recycling activities and the achievement of a Circular Economy on a local scale.
Currently, the unit achieves an average of 120 picks per minute, but can easily be upgraded with additional robotic sorters to reach even higher productivity.
At the exhibition attendees had the chance to see the robotic recyclables sorting system in action, and discussed with our project representatives from Robenso, HERRCO and FORTH-Hellas how the prMRF can transform waste management in remote and island regions of Greece.
The RECLAIM project certainly made heads turn and lock in to see the prMRF live demos.
Naturally, we piqued some curiosities along the way and some visitors had interesting questions to ask. For example:
Let us clear the air on these questions below. In our project, we typically sort 7 different material types:
Currently, RECLAIM’s prMRF can recover:
✅ 6,500+ items/hour of PMD packages!
And save:
✅ 1.6 tonnes CO₂ daily
Furthermore, the prMRF is better than the current model, because it consumes:
🔋 36% less fuel, which means fewer transport trips to mainland MRFs
⚡ 12% faster waste processing, which means more efficiency, less waste
Verde.tec was strategic platform to officially present the future of decentralised material recovery operations, the prMRF, to key authorities supporting circular economy in Greece.
RECLAIM project coordinator Michail Maniadakis hosted a discussion panel with the participation of some important personalities:
All participants expressed their enthusiasm for the tangible achievements of the RECLAIM project and their belief that the developed system could be a game changer for municipal solid waste recycling in island and remote areas.
“The event ended on a high note, drawing significant interest from visitors and showcasing the future of robotic waste sorting in action,” said RECLAIM project coordinator Michail Maniadakis from Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH).
And you know what the best part was from the expo?
The RECLAIM project received the prestigious Green Innovation Award, recognising its groundbreaking contributions to sustainable waste management. Representing the project at the award ceremony were key partners: FORTH, HERRCO, ROBENSO, and the University of Malta, showcasing a strong collaboration driving innovation in environmental technology.
Energised by the Verde.tec display, we are now looking forward to prMRF’s penultimate deployment (within the scope of RECLAIM project) in Kefalonia island where it will take on the challenge of sorting recyclables in demanding, real-world conditions over the coming months.
For all those who got to know about our project recently, let us refocus our attention on why RECLAIM is going to be a game changer in the decentralised material recovery sector!
To showcase our achievements, we have documented our process and journey on YouTube. And we would love for you to be part of this extremely invigorating yet challenging process.
Follow our YouTube channel for all the latest videos from the Verde.tec expo and project updates until now.