How an AI-powered robot helps recycle your waste

Why it matters: Powered by artificial intelligence, the machine can identify the composition of the material and sort recyclable items.

• This leads to less waste in landfills and reduces contamination so recyclable materials can get repurposed.

State of play: Republic Services — which has operations in Colorado Springs and throughout the Front Range — recently installed AI robots at its north Denver facility, which handles about 10,000 tons of waste a month.

• The machine is monitored remotely by the California-based engineer Glacier and can move faster than optical scanners and hand sorters, making waste diversion just 25%.
• If it can't identify a product, it goes to the trash.

By the numbers: 67% of the recyclable materials are cardboard and another 17% are mixed paper products.

What they're saying: "The thing with AI, every month it's getting better, " says general manager Steve Derus.

The other side: Even with the robotic advantage, the plant employs hundreds of workers over two shifts keeping it running almost all day.

• "It's not replacing labor, but labor is hard to find for these jobs," he adds. "If we have people do other jobs, it's a better use of their time."

The big picture: Colorado is preparing to debut statewide recycling.

• In 2025, the state's diversion rate was 15.7%, according to Eco-Cycle. The Polis administration's goal is to increase waste diversion to 35% by the end of this year and 45% by 2036.
• Officials estimate a 35% increase would reduce emissions as much as removing 1.1 million cars from the road for a year.

What's next: Republic Services is adding more AI and robotics to its facilities across the nation. "This AI thing is going to be the future," Derus says.