Reverse-vending collaboration seeks to reduce waste, increase waste-stream circularity

Tomra, a manufacturer of reverse-vending machines (RVMs) that collect, sort and process used beverage containers, and Ericsson Connected Recycling, a SaaS platform that offers traceability and trading of waste materials back into new products, have agreed to collaborate to “increase transparency, traceability, and optimization of waste streams.

The two companies anticipate that combining their technologies will help demonstrate how producers and retailers can monetize their waste and improve their environmental impact by enabling circularity instead of sending waste to landfills and incineration. They demonstrated their new approach at HPE’s Discover event on June 17-20 in Las Vegas.

Marius Fraurud, head of Tomra Collection said in a statement, “Our mission is to drive circularity through innovative solutions. Our reverse-vending machines play a crucial role by collecting and sorting used beverage containers while generating precise data on these materials. The collaboration with Ericsson Connected Recycling shows how this data can be used to provide complete traceability of materials from waste to new products. By combining our technologies, we are demonstrating how we can turn waste into a valuable resource and drive more sustainable practices in the industry.”

 “This is a great opportunity to show how our combined experience and ability to execute at scale, could transform the waste industry, increasing circularity and minimizing the environmental impact of waste,” said Sophia Fahlen, head of Ericsson Connected Recycling.