Recology King County Deploys Glacier’s AI Robots in Washington State to Help Produce Cleaner Recycling

Recology King County joins leading cities around the nation using Glacier’s AI recycling robots to improve recycling efficiency and reduce landfill waste

Seattle, WA (April 28, 2025)—Recology, a leader in waste collection and resource recovery, has installed innovative AI robotic sorters at its King County Material Recovery Facility (MRF), introducing Glacier’s technology to help produce higher-quality bales of recycled materials.

The newly deployed system addresses two major challenges in recycling— contamination and material loss. Glacier’s system provides real-time data to align recycling with commodity pricing, helping MRFs and businesses maximize the value of recovered materials.

“Having witnessed the success of Glacier’s technology in San Francisco, we’re thrilled to introduce it here in Seattle,” said Salvatore M. Coniglio, Chief Executive Officer of Recology. “What excites me most is how Glacier’s robots are not only enhancing our recycling efficiency and cutting down on contamination but also providing our team with a safer work environment. This partnership helps us ensure that more valuable materials are recovered, reducing waste and supporting a more sustainable future for everyone.”

Recology’s King County MRF joins other forward-thinking cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and Phoenix, in deploying Glacier’s recycling technology. Glacier’s AI recycling robots are now available in MRFs nationwide, helping urban and rural facilities increase efficiency.

“King County is an example of what the MRF of the future looks like—a recycling center doing things right by embracing technology to improve efficiency and sustainability,” said Rebecca Hu-Thrams, CEO of Glacier. “Recycling is a critical part of sustainability. With our AI robots and vision system, we can recover more materials and create a system where fewer resources are wasted.”

“Glacier’s innovative use of AI and robotics, coupled with their collaborative approach to local partnerships, has positioned them to scale quickly,” said Mitch Rubin, Senior Director of Innovation at Elemental Impact. “Elemental is thrilled to provide our project expertise and invest in Glacier’s first end-to-end system installation in Washington state, in collaboration with Recology, to deliver more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable recycling.”

Recycling Robots That Are Faster, Smarter, and More Affordable
Glacier’s system is purpose-built for the unpredictable nature of recycling streams, using advanced computer vision and smart robotic arms to identify and sort 30+ types of materials, ranging from common items like PET plastic and aluminum cans to specific packaging types like toothpaste tubes, cat food tins, and more the machines are capable of sorting 45 items per minute, the system helps MRFs to improve recovery and purity rates. Unlike traditional automation solutions, Glacier’s system is affordable, costing half as much as conventional options, space-efficient (requiring just 3 feet of conveyor space), and can typically be installed in less than one day without facility downtime.

The real-time data collected by Glacier’s robots also provides new insights into recycling trends, helping facilities optimize material recovery and align operations with commodity pricing. Glacier has already diverted millions of items from landfills and prevented over 2,000 tons of CO₂ emissions.

A Model for the Future of Recycling
The installation at Recology’s King County MRF serves as a blueprint for how automation can transform waste management nationwide. By integrating cost-effective, purpose-built robotics, MRFs can increase efficiency and reduce contamination, all while diverting more recyclable materials from landfills and keeping them in circulation.

Recology and Glacier will continue to monitor the system’s performance and explore further applications of AI and automation to enhance material recovery efforts.

On April 28, Recology, Glacier, and Glacier’s funding partner Elemental Impact hosted a live demonstration of the recycling system at Recology’s Seattle MRF in King County, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability advocates to experience the technology firsthand. Attendees observed Glacier’s AI robots sorting recyclables in real-time, toured the facility, and engaged in discussions on how automation is shaping the future of waste management. The event reinforced Recology’s role as a model for next-generation recycling operations, demonstrating how AI can increase material recovery and drive sustainability forward.

ABOUT RECOLOGY:

Recology is the largest 100% employee-owned company in the waste recovery industry. Based in San Francisco, Recology operates throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. Recology’s mission represents a fundamental shift from traditional waste management to resource recovery, seeking to eliminate waste by developing and discovering sustainable resource recovery practices that can be implemented globally. Recology seeks to achieve this by creating a resource ecosystem—one that both protects the environment and sustains the local communities the company serves. Recology’s focus on sustainable operations and practices makes it possible for the diverse communities Recology serves to achieve high landfill diversion and meet sustainability goals. Visit recology.com to learn more.

ABOUT GLACIER:

Co-founded by Rebecca Hu-Thrams and Areeb Malik, Glacier is the creator of the first purpose-built, affordable, and space-efficient AI-enabled robot for recycling. Based in San Francisco, CA, the company is committed to fighting climate change by ending waste. For more information about Glacier and its innovative recycling solutions, visit https://endwaste.io/.

ABOUT ELEMENTAL IMPACT:

Elemental Impact is a nonprofit investing platform with 15 years of experience advancing innovative technology that creates lasting economic and environmental impact across communities. Elemental deploys catalytic capital and provides expert services to a portfolio of 160+ companies across energy, agriculture, transportation, industry, and nature-based solutions. This work is supported by more than 40 funders from philanthropy, foundations, and government.

Contact Information

Maggie Philbin

PR for Glacier

VSC for Glacier

Maggiep@vsc.co