— By Plasteurope.com correspondent — 

The issue of plastics waste across the Greek islands is about to be tackled by a low-cost, mobile, AI-powered robotic recycling plant.

Organisations such as the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation have in recent years highlighted the problem of plastics waste in the seas and on beaches around several Greek islands.

Islands which rely on incoming visitors are particularly affected by such waste. The Common Seas environmental organisation found that Paros saw a 5,000% increase in plastics waste during the high season.

Among those working on the EU-funded Reclaim project are Spanish plastics technology centre Aimplas (Valencia; www.aimplas.net), Robenso Environmental Robotic Solutions (Heraklion, Greece; www.robenso.gr), Axia Innovation (Munich, Germany; www.axia-innovation.com), and others.

The Reclaim technology uses a series of robots armed with multiple types of pickers to sort various types of waste according to their composition. Being mobile, the device can be used anywhere, helping waste to be recovered in areas in which constructing full-on waste treatment plants is not feasible.

Javier Grau, a mechanical recycling researcher at Aimplas, said that remote islands, hard-to-reach rural areas, or regions with limited infrastructure were scenarios where the mobile equipment would be able to make a “significant difference”.

Related: Aimplas project hopes to turn waste from mushroom cultivation into biofilm

Grau said hard-to-reach spots were just the start of the Reclaim technology’s potential: “The equipment also serves as an ideal solution for large-scale events such as festivals, concerts, or sports competitions, where massive waste generation in one place requires immediate treatment.

“It can also complement existing recycling plants in tourist areas that face significant population fluctuations during peak seasons.”