Partners
Development of Automated Material Characterization Systems in Material Recovery Facilities
The Challenge
In response to Quebec’s transition to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), where producers, not municipalities, now oversee the full lifecycle of recyclable materials, Machinex is collaborating with Tricentris to modernize quality auditing in material recovery facilities (MRFs). Under this new system, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), the designated EPR management body, is accountable for ensuring that sorted materials meet market requirements. However, current manual audits are costly, inconsistent, and logistically demanding. To address this matter, the project will deploy an AI-powered object recognition system to evaluate bale quality in real time. This innovation will enable continuous, automated auditing of contaminants and composition accuracy of bales coming out of MRFs and provide key performance indicators in ÉEQ’s new oversight model. It will reduce audit costs, minimize material being sent to landfill due to poor sorting, and help operators, like Tricentris, avoid penalties while improving recycling efficiency. With approximately 25 MRFs under EPR and growing, this solution has the potential to become a cornerstone of compliance, transparency, and environmental impact reduction in Quebec’s circular economy. As a Quebec-based, locally developed innovation, it also holds strong potential to be exported internationally.
Made possible through the
financial support of
financial support of
