Recycling Robot Takes out the Trash at UMass

Imagine you are at a University of Massachusetts dining hall or at a stadium concert or sports event. You just finished lunch and have food, containers, and utensils to dispose of. You find three waste bins that are labeled “trash”, “recycling” and “compost” but you can’t figure out where to put what. For example, where do you throw your used napkin? And where do you throw a paper coffee cup? (Answers below). 

As the world grapples with mounting waste challenges, a young company named rStream is pioneering technological solutions that could transform how we handle recycling and waste sorting in large non-industrial settings like colleges and stadiums. Founded by two UMass grads, engineers Ian Goodine and Ethan Walko, rStream combines artificial intelligence with robotics to automate waste sorting, potentially solving one of the most persistent problems in recycling: human error in waste disposal decisions. This innovative approach not only promises to dramatically increase recycling rates but also provides valuable data insights that could reshape waste management practices across various sectors.

Contamination is a huge issue with recycling, and humans are just really bad at knowing what materials are trash or recyclable. This AI based technology uniquely addresses the ‘which bin does it go in’ problem by asking computers instead of consumers to solve it.  Using this technology at this scale represents a significant step towards realizing a material recovery process driven by technology, and shows the power of higher education to serve as a living lab for innovation. 

What makes rStream’s approach revolutionary is its ability to accurately identify various waste items in real-time using computer vision algorithms. This technology can distinguish between different types of materials—plastics, papers, metals, organics—with a degree of precision that far exceeds human capability. The system not only sorts the waste but also collects valuable data about waste composition and disposal patterns. According to Goodine, rStream also has the capacity to process both single and dual stream recycling.

Last year, an early version of rStream’s waste auditing technology was tested on the UMass Amherst campus. Now, rStream is bringing its next level of innovation to the western Massachusetts campus: a mobile trailer that sorts up to a half-ton of waste per hour.

Target Market and Applications
rStream’s technology addresses a pressing need across multiple sectors where waste management presents significant challenges. The company has developed its solution to be compact, robust, and affordable, making it suitable for non-industrial settings with critical waste volumes.

Primary target markets for rStream’s technology include:

• Universities and educational institutions
• Stadiums and event venues
• Corporate campuses and large office buildings
• Waste haulers and recycling facilities

As the technology matures, its market reach could extend to municipal waste management systems, retail environments, and hospitality settings.

Benefits and Impact
The potential benefits of rStream’s technology extend beyond simple automation, touching on environmental, economic, and operational aspects of waste management.

One of the most significant advantages of rStream is the dramatic improvement in recycling capture rates. Traditional recycling systems typically achieve capture rates of only about 30%, meaning that 70% of recyclable materials end up in landfills. Additionally, approximately one-third of collected single-stream recycling is contaminated, degrading the quality of recyclable commodities. rStream’s technology aims to increase capture rates to 90-100%, ensuring that virtually all recyclables are diverted from landfills and processed correctly.

The system could significantly reduce landfill waste and increase the volume of materials available for recycling and composting. This contributes to resource conservation, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, and progress toward circular economy principles.

Economically, the technology offers potential cost savings through more efficient waste handling, reduced contamination penalties, and optimized collection routes. Goodine and Walko have created a system that could transform recycling from a well-intentioned but flawed process into a highly efficient component of waste reduction. 

About rStream?
rStream is a robotics start-up based in Somerville, Massachusetts. The co-founders, Ian Goodine and Ethan Walko, have raised $3M and been named as Activate Fellows since graduating from UMass Amherst in 2022 where their research into robotics, AI, and waste began. Based at Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in the US, the team is driving high-tech waste management forwards with state-of-the-art AI and robotics technology to separate recycling from trash.

[Answers: Where do you put a used paper napkin? Compost. Where do you put a used paper coffee cup? Most paper coffee cups, due to their plastic lining, should be disposed of in the trash, not recycled or composted, unless they are specifically labeled as “certified compostable”.

This article was written with the assistance of AI

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