STADLER and ZenRobotics have built the pioneering new sorting plant with Remeo Oy, a Finnish company specialising in environmental management.
Esko Tuomisto
STADLER and ZenRobotics build the ‘most advanced’ materials recovery facility in the EU
STADLER designed and built the materials recovery facility (MRF) in collaboration with Remeo, while ZenRobotics supplied AI-based robotics waste sorting technologies.
The facility, located in the Greater Helsinki Region stands out not only for the state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, cutting-edge processes, and high level of automation, but also for integrating Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Construction & Demolition (C&D) wastelines in the same plant – an industry first.
The new Remeo MRF was inaugurated on 14 February with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Remeo’s CEO Johan Mild and Business Director Mauri Lielahti. The ribbon was cut by Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintillä.
Lielahti said: “The combination of our experience with the C&D line, STADLER’s solid familiarity with the C&I line and ZenRobotics’ impressive knowledge of robotics made this an excellent co-operation with the best results. We appreciated STADLER’s capability to be innovative, their willingness to seek new solutions and that they were ready to listen to the customer’s needs. We have been working closely with ZenRobotics since 2014 and have a continuous development co-operation. Thanks to the knowledge we acquired on our older recycling facility, we knew what we should and should not do. It has been easy to work with them.”
Remeo’s MRF project is unique in Europe as it uses the latest technology and, due to its operation, material recovery will play a much greater role than energy recovery for the first time. The annual processing capacity of the facility is 120,000 tonnes of construction waste and 60,000 tonnes of energy waste produced in commerce and industry. This waste is recycled into high-quality alternatives to virgin materials, giving the waste a new life and reducing the need for incineration.
Remeo MRF will cover more than 30 per cent of all waste recycling needs in the Helsinki region. In doing so, this facility also removes the need to export the waste from Finland as the capacity to recycle waste domestically increases.