Sorted Technologies Raises £920k to Bring Low-Cost AI Robots to Recycling Plants

Recycling has a strange problem. We have become very good at collecting waste, but sorting it efficiently is another matter.

Sorted Technologies wants to fix that with robots.

The London-based startup has raised £920,000 from Green Angel Ventures, existing investor Archipelago Ventures and angel investors to scale its AI-powered robotic systems for recycling facilities.

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The idea is surprisingly practical.

Rather than asking recycling operators to rebuild their facilities around expensive new machinery, Sorted Technologies develops lightweight robots that can be retrofitted into existing systems. Its computer vision technology identifies materials, while the robots automate the final stage of sorting.

The company operates through a Robot-as-a-Service model, meaning operators can use the technology without taking on the large upfront capital cost normally associated with automation.

For founders, that commercial decision is probably just as interesting as the robotics itself.

A brilliant technology can struggle if the customer has to spend millions before seeing any return. By removing some of that initial financial barrier, Sorted is tackling a very real objection at the point of sale.

And there is plenty of room for improvement.

The World Bank estimates global waste could rise by 50% by 2050 under current trends, while labour can account for 50% to 70% of operating costs in recycling facilities.

That makes automation less of a futuristic idea and more of an economic necessity.

Sorted already has early customers among major waste and recycling operators, including SUEZ, Biffa and Bywaters.

That's encouraging, but I think the next stage will be the real test.

Getting a robot working in a controlled pilot is one thing. Deploying it across different facilities, waste streams and operating conditions is much harder.

The new funding will help the company increase production and deployment as commercial demand grows.

Green Angel Ventures believes Sorted's retrofit approach could make robotic sorting accessible to smaller and mid-sized Material Recovery Facilities.

If the founders can prove that their robots consistently recover more valuable material while reducing labour costs, they may have found something more powerful than another piece of recycling technology.

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They may have found a way to make automation economically unavoidable.

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