On 5th and 6th June, we attended the launch of the European Innovation project MixMatters, held in Valencia, Spain. The launch marked the start of a new journey for Recycleye, and we are proud to confirm we have been selected to participate in this ambitious 4-year project, which has a budget exceeding €7,000,000.
The aim of the project is to derive value from the significant amount of biological, or bio-waste produced by the agri-food industry produces each year, amounting to 113 million tonnes in the European Union alone! In a first for Recycleye, we are participating by applying our ground-breaking AI to help identify and sort valuable recyclables such as plastics and aluminium from the bio-waste.
The bio-waste also contains valuable compounds that can be used in food products, animal feeds, and even cosmetics, but this opportunity is often lost as 75% of this biological waste ends up in landfill.
MixMatters is a European project that presents an innovative, integrated, and versatile solution for the efficient valorisation of mixed biological waste, consisting of a modular separation unit and a valorisation hub adapted to the specific waste type.
Throughout the project, three demonstrations will be carried out in Spain, two of them located in Valencia and one in the Almería region. By separating and valorising 48 tonnes of mixed biological waste, the goal is to avoid the 21 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions during the demonstration phase.
Financed by the Circular Bio-Based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking under the European programme for innovation and research “Horizon Europe 2021-2027” (HE), the consortium comprises 18 organisations from 8 European countries and is lead by AINIA.
Marta Benito, European Project Leader at AINIA and coordinator of the MixMatters project, stated that “Effective classification of mixed waste plays a pivotal role in meeting the EU’s circular economy goals, as it empowers the valorisation of these waste streams, unleashing the potential of the agri-food industry and enhancing its competitiveness and resilience.”
We are excited to participate and look forward to creating transformational results with our AI sorting capabilities.
The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members under grant agreement No 101112409. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the CBE JU can be held responsible for them.