The Value Chain 

Waste created by consumers (municipal waste) is collected through collection schemes. After the waste, including plastics, has been collected, it is processed by waste separators. At their facilities, the consumer waste is separated into a number of fractions. Here, the plastics are commonly separated into PET, PE, PP and a rest fraction, of which each fraction is pressed and wrapped into bale form. Waste separators get paid per metric ton of separated plastic waste that meets quality requirements specified in the DKR norm, and simultaneously charge their clients, mechanical recyclers, for the bales of plastic they sell to them. These mechanical recyclers process the bales of plastic, and often conduct their own set of separation- and washing processes in order to increase the purity – and quality – of their incoming material. The plastic flakes are then compounded, extruded and pelletized by mechanical recyclers, resulting in the creation of a secondary raw material: regranulate. Finally, these regranulate are used by plastic processing companies as raw material for the production of new products, thereby restarting the cycle of a product’s life.

The problem

Recycling of plastic waste into high quality products, is facing obstacles created by the plurality of materials used in plastic products. Even after plastic waste has been separated, a significant percentage of unknown contaminants remains in the material, which makes reuse in high quality products difficult, due to the negative effects that contaminants have. To mitigate the negative effects of contaminations, mechanical recyclers can use various chemicals, such as compatibilizers and plasticizers, to ensure an acceptable material quality is obtained, and to minimize machine downtime.

In order to determine the extent to which the batch of plastic flakes are contaminated, recyclers often perform a range of laboratory tests. However, the methodologies used to gain insight are labor-intensive and lengthy processes that require a certain level of experience. Moreover, in most cases these tests do not provide accurate information and/or are based on a small sample which is not representative for a batch (e.g. truckload) of plastic waste.

Our mission

Our mission is to solve societal and environmental problems through innovation at an international scale, applying artificial intelligence on sensor data.

We envision a future in which plastics can be re-used in high quality applications again and again, closing the loop definitively. We believe that by providing stakeholders with in depth information on material quality and composition, the recycling industry can become more data driven and thereby more successful at producing high quality products from recycled plastic waste.