The global issue of waste management is projected to worsen, with the volume of discarded materials expected to nearly double to 3.8 billion metric tons by 2050. While reducing consumption could help alleviate this problem, effectively decreasing purchases remains a challenge. Recycling, although a potential solution, encounters its own difficulties. Improper recycling habits, such as placing dirty yogurt cups or plastics in the wrong bins, increase costs as manual sorting becomes necessary.
In response, companies like Glacier are developing automated systems to improve recycling efficiency. Glacier, established six years ago, has created cost-effective robotic arms powered by computer vision that can identify over 30 different types of materials. These robots are currently operational in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, and Seattle.
As the company seeks to expand its robotic fleet to more areas, it has recently raised $16 million in a Series A funding round. This investment was led by Ecosystem Integrity Fund with contributions from various other firms and funds including AlleyCorp, Alumni Ventures, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, and more.
Rebecca Hu-Thrams, Glacier’s co-founder and CEO, noted that recycling facilities, known as Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), face challenges as demand for recycling grows and staffing shortages persist. The industry experiences high turnover, requiring frequent hiring for sorting positions. The undesirable nature of the job is evident, as workers often prefer more appealing roles such as box handling in air-conditioned warehouses.
Glacier offers its robotic solutions through direct purchases or lease-to-own models, providing MRFs with the option to handle repairs themselves with available training and spare parts. Alternatively, maintenance packages are offered for those preferring external support.
Additionally, Glacier provides a data product that enables MRFs and stakeholders, such as consumer product companies and government agencies, to gain insights into the waste stream. This could help MRFs identify areas of inefficiency or allow companies to audit recycling outcomes of their packaging.
With the deployment of more robots, recycling rates are expected to improve. The enhanced capability of AI systems to efficiently differentiate recyclables from trash surpasses manual efforts, according to Areeb Malik, Glacier’s CTO and co-founder.
