Waste Management’s new 57,860-square-foot Philadelphia Recycling Facility will be able to handle all of the city’s and part of surrounding suburban counties’ recycling needs, writes Frank Kummer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The modern plant relies on optical sorters that are powered by artificial intelligence. These help separate waste into appropriate categories.
Both the automation addition and the increase in capacity were needed, according to Rafael Hernandez Avellan, the facility’s manager. Waste Management now handles the load better and addresses a labor issue.
“It’s very hard to get people that want to come in and do this — standing on a line all day could be very tiring,” said Hernandez Avellan. “We’ve had a very hard time finding people to come in and fill those roles. So automation definitely helps. And with automation, we also get cleaner materials in the end.”
Even so, the company has successfully kept 40 employees who sort, bail, run heavy equipment, and perform maintenance.
The material recovery facility became operational in August, however the company held the ribbon cutting ceremony with city officials until earlier this month.
It replaces an older facility nearby and separates 160,000 tons of paper, plastic, metal, and glass a year using newer technology.
Read more about the city’s new recycling plant and how it will benefit the region in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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