Recycling : Machinex recognised by National Waste & Recycling Association as Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year

The Recycling Equipment Innovator of the Year Award was open to designers and manufacturers of recycling equipment in North America who are successfully challenging and advancing the recycling industry. It recognises innovation in design and manufacturing that improves the effectiveness or efficiency of recycling equipment and operations.

As a pioneer in the development of advanced sorting technologies, Machinex designed, manufactured and installed this sorting system, which comprises 19 SamurAI® sorting robots, 14 optical sorters (including 13 MACH Hyspec® optical sorters), a MACH Vision™ stream composition analyser and multiple MACH INTELL™ platforms throughout the facility. This fully integrated solution ensures ultimate efficiency in an innovative, state-of-the-art recycling facility. Achieving performance levels of up to 99% purity and over 98% recovery is not the result of a single technology or piece of equipment, but rather a carefully optimised turnkey sorting system integrating of dozens of proprietary technologies.

“We have developed a cutting-edge sorting solution capable of processing 52 tons per hour of residential single-stream recyclables, reaching market-leading purity levels with only 5 manual sorters. While we know we could meet our customer’s metrics, we could not do this at the expense of losing valuable recyclables to residue. Sherbourne Recycling is extremely pleased with both our purity and recovery rates.” explains Chris Hawn, CEO of Machinex Technologies.

Working in partnership with Sherbourne Recycling Limited, the objective was clear: to design a highly automated MRF that would achieve unparalleled product quality whilst maintaining sustainability. In designing the Sherbourne Resource Park, Machinex pushed the boundaries of its previous work and innovated beyond existing designs. The unprecedented levels of purity achieved mean that recovered materials are processed locally rather than being exported as inferior materials to other countries, exemplifying the circular economy in action. Data shows a significant improvement in recycling efficiency and effectiveness to maintain 95% plant and equipment availability.

“This year’s awardees represent a shift to a circular economy embracing more reuse, reduction and recycling,” said NWRA President and CEO Michael E. Hoffman. “Through their innovative design, modernized facilities, education programs and dedication to finding new and more ways to reuse waste, the industry is leading economically viable solutions to a circular economy.”

Machinex's commitment to developing innovative solutions that improve sustainability and efficiency in recycling operations is underscored by this award, highlighting its leadership and forward-thinking approach in the industry.