Robots Are Now Being Made To Recycle
A new recycling robot may make recycling easier than ever before.
This article is more than 2 years old
Have trouble recycling? An innovative recycling robot is here to fix the world’s most pressing disposal issues. With so much recyclable material ending up in landfills anyway, this technology is here to make sorting more effortless and productive.
Lasso’s newest product, a recycling robot made perfectly for one’s home, circumvents the frustrating curbside system. It’s called the Lasso Loop, and the prototype was demonstrated for audiences at CES 2022. The company’s press release regarded the robot as a miraculous concept, stating that it would offer “100% recycling” and never let materials fall into a landfill. Though audiences haven’t acquired the tech in stores yet, the prototype is extremely promising for climate-conscious consumers.
The prototype of this recycling robot displayed at CES was reasonably large, standing five feet tall like a second refrigerator. The exterior had a dark grey finish, in a rectangular shape designed to fit next to a homeowner’s other appliances. Unfortunately, the prototype is a little bigger than most consumers hoped. Phil Sanders, the chief technology officer for the Lasso Loop, said the displayed product would not be the final measurements. In fact, the company is planning to have a reduced-size Lasso Loop as the last version.
The Lasso Loops is a potential miracle worker, sorting seven different types of recyclables: brown, green, and clear glass, PET and HDPE plastic, aluminum cans, and steel cans. Once the material is deposited, the recycling robot works as an investigative computer, examining bar codes and its exterior to determine what the material is. When the material is identified correctly, then the material is finished recycling. Cameras inside the Lasso Loop will detect if something is wrong with the item, rejecting it before it’s recycled improperly.
For many, washing and rinsing materials can be an added stressor for recycling. But, this recycling robot has a washing function inside of it, ensuring that all materials will be cleaned before being recycled. The contaminants and dirt are collected in a portion of the Lasso Loop, which needs to be emptied regularly. This completely eradicates the most prominent problem of curbside recycling programs, which is receiving dirty materials.
Another issue that this recycling robot eliminates is confusion surrounding specific materials. Often, people see green, brown, and clear glass in the same material. But makers of the Lasso Loop and recycling experts say differently; these glasses are “different materials” and must be kept separately, ensuring that their recycling process is unobstructed.
The Lasso Loop is available for preorder but at a high price. Initially, the recycling robot was estimated to have a $5,000 market price, which has been minimized to $3,500. This price might change when the Lasso Loop hits store shelves, but its steep price will probably continue to be unaffordable to a larger audience. Though the product ultimately will help consumers keep landfills free of unnecessary excess, only a select few will be able to spend money on the costly invention. All in all, however, this recycling robot is truly the way of the future. Though it solves the precarious nature of American curbside recycling, its inaccessibility may limit its environmental success.
