Imagine a city where trash isn't a problem but a goldmine for local factories. This project builds a smart system to sort through city waste—like old clothes, electronics, and construction debris—using robots and AI. It then turns that waste into high-quality materials that companies can use to make new products, effectively closing the loop on pollution.
Cities generate massive amounts of waste (over 500 kg per capita in the EU), but only 45% is recycled. This results in lost revenue from valuable materials and high landfill costs.
A suite of sorting tools including AI-powered smart bins, robotic lines for construction waste, and chemical recycling processes for textiles and plastics.
If you are a waste processor dealing with low recycling rates—currently only 45% in the EU—this project developed smart bins and robotic sorting lines that achieve over 85% accuracy. This allows you to capture more high-value materials from urban streams.
If you are a textile producer dealing with high raw material costs—this project developed a glycolysis process that produced 450 kg of recycled PET from waste. You can replace virgin plastics with these secondary raw materials.
If you are a construction material supplier dealing with landfill costs for debris—this project developed processing routes for construction and demolition waste (CDW). This transforms waste into feedstock for cement and concrete production.
Based on available project data, specific pricing for the technologies is not provided, though the project aims for economic savings over 14B€.
Yes, the project implemented industrial-speed hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for real-time classification and integrated robotic lines for construction waste.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 17 industry partners and 14 SMEs who are co-developing the solutions.
The project runs from December 2022 to November 2026, with technologies being demonstrated during the final year of execution.
The project uses a hub model centered in Zaragoza, integrating smart bins and mobile sorters into the urban collection and industrial processing chain.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward commercial application, with a 49% industry ratio (17 companies). The presence of 14 SMEs suggests a focus on agile, scalable technology deployment. With 35 partners across 12 countries, the project has a strong cross-border validation network, balancing 9 research centers and 2 universities with a large number of industrial end-users.
Contact Fundacion Circe in Spain
Contact us to connect with the REDOL industrial partners for licensing these sorting technologies.
