Recycling Startups Use AI to Recover More Aluminum as Prices Rise

Rising prices for aluminum have prompted recycling startups to expand use of AI systems that sort scrap and waste streams. The metal now trades at levels not seen in several decades, with about 10 percent of global supply coming from the Gulf region.

The U.S. government had already designated aluminum a critical mineral before recent price increases. Domestic production meets only part of demand, and much of the aluminum used in the United States is recycled.

Sortera opened a second facility in Tennessee that doubles its processing capacity to 240 million pounds, nearly all of it aluminum. The company uses lasers, cameras, and X-ray fluorescence sensors to feed AI algorithms that classify individual pieces of scrap by grade.

Amp operates an AI-powered system that processes both recycling and general waste streams. Sensors including visible light and infrared cameras identify aluminum and other materials on conveyor belts, after which robotic arms and puffers separate them into bins.

The company states the system recovers specific materials at over 90 percent accuracy.

Only about 20 percent of aluminum is recovered in the United States, according to the EPA. One executive noted that half of the aluminum in metro areas with recycling programs ends up in regular garbage rather than recycling streams. Facilities using these sorting technologies represent some of the largest new sources of domestically produced aluminum coming online in a given year.

The systems target higher-value grades to increase revenue per pound processed.