Colleges Week 2020 - innovation and designing the future

South Essex College is supporting Colleges Week this week. Today’s theme is innovation. The college leads the way with green technology and is committed to environmental sustainability by using state-of-the-art equipment to recycle.

Last year, 79% of all college waste was recycled thanks to MAX-AI – our waste contractor Green Recycling Ltd’s artificial intelligence waste sorting robot – the first of its kind in the country.
 
The robot ensures as much material as possible is sent for recycling, thanks to its ability to quickly and efficiently identify different types of suitable material from mixed waste.
 
Once all recyclable materials have been sorted, the remaining non-recyclable waste is processed into bio-fuel, meaning no waste is sent to landfill.
 
Of course, reducing the use of single use materials in the first place, plastics in particular, is an even more environmentally friendly approach, and we encourage everyone to think about how they can play their part.
 
Claire Bamra, Head of Estates, said the new technology was fantastic.
 
She said: “Environmental sustainability is an important topic and everyone has a part to play.
 
“This new technology means as much waste as possible is recycled, reducing our impact on the environment, which can only be a good thing.”

You can see MAX-AI in action by clicking here: https://youtu.be/irci2TXVECk