Recycling company Re-Gen is to invest £10 million in artificial intelligence, robotics and other advanced technology at its Newry sorting facility over the next three years in a move it says will help decarbonise the north’s waste system.
The investment will help Re-Gen boost efficiency at its plant and continue to increase the amount of blue and black bin household waste it is able to send for recycling to local industry.
Both technologies are already being utilised at the company’s plant following an investment of £12 million over the last three years, with the future spend focused on refining and rolling the equipment out further.
Re-Gen’s focus since beginning operations nearly 20 years ago has been on separating household waste, such as glass, paper, card, metal and plastic, into separate streams to meet the increasing quality demands of local reprocesses.
It processes around 200,000 tonnes of material each year using the most carbon efficient sorting method, one which avoids the need to send waste to landfill.
Its operations have been integral in helping meet the government’s aim of decarbonising the waste system and achieving net zero carbon emissions targets.
One of the technologies Re-Gen uses is an analyser platform which allows it to monitor material and contamination percentages and adjust its process to produce high quality recyclate.
It also works closely with reprocesses, as exampled by its collaboration with High-5 to maximise the amount of glass which can be returned to bottle production. That collaboration increases the quantity of recycled glass entering the market, further reducing the demand for raw materials and the environmental footprint of glass production.
Re-Gen chief executive Joseph Doherty said: “Our ability to meet the specific input requirements of reprocessors across a range of materials is a direct result of our investments in advanced technology and strategic collaborations.
“We have already invested heavily in the latest technologies and are committed to further significant investment to ensure that we are able to recycle as much as possible from the waste we sort.”
He added: “By continually refining and innovating through technology, we are driving the decarbonisation of Northern Ireland’s waste system and playing a significant part in ensuring we meet fast-approaching net zero carbon targets.
“Re-Gen is committed to continual investment to ensure we are able to recycle as much as we possibly can, now and in the future.”
